


Can I sit here?

by Elizandre



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 100000+ words, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Anxiety, Bullying, Developing Relationship, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Glacial Burn, Good Boy Bokuto Koutarou, Jealous Akaashi, Kenma is a soft baby, Kuroo Tetsurou is a Little Shit, M/M, Mario Kart is a big thing, Mental Health Issues, Misunderstandings, Multi, Nonbinary Kozume Kenma, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Not Canon Compliant, Panic Attacks, Physical Abuse, Polyamory, Rare Pairings, Slow Burn, this is a rollercoaster, we stan normalising ‘unusual’ relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-31 09:15:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 116,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20112718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elizandre/pseuds/Elizandre
Summary: Yachi is having a tough enough time at University with her anxiety and parental issues, without throwing Kuroo Tetsurou into the mix.However, the boy happens to reside in the quietest alcove of the library. An alcove that her health begs for.Just how much of Kuroo & Co’s shenanigans is she willing to put up with in order to assure her mental wellbeing?Cue the volleyball squad being best wingmenTM, Yachi being a hot mess and LOTS of library shenanigans.





	1. Can I sit here?

**Author's Note:**

> So I’ve never done this before and I wasn’t planning on doing it EVER, but my rarepair heart couldn’t handle the lack of decent length Kuroo x Yachi fanfics, so here I am writing one for you all.
> 
> Spoilers:  
\- I am unreliable and busy, so there will be no set time for chapter uploads.  
\- I do not have a plan for this fic so WHO KNOWS where its gonna end up.  
\- As I have no plan, I also do not know how long it is going to end up being, but I would like to reach somewhere around the 30,000 mark. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the first chapter, feel free to comment or kudos if that’s your thing! If not its chill and I hope I can do my faves justice <3
> 
> P.S. I have no beta because we die like men. Who cares about grammar and spelling when it comes to matters of the HEART!

It was a typical Thursday night for Kuroo. Chemistry notes were spread across the table before him, flung haphazardly, as if a bomb had gone off. Colourful lines connected diagrams and hastily scrawled notes together like a criminal evidence board. His headphones softly serenaded him with catchy, motivational, K-Pop songs (though if anyone were to ask, he was listening to Kasabian - or something more befitting of his grungy looks). 

There was nothing out of the ordinary this Thursday in his university library. Nothing to disturb the peace as his brain wracked through chemical compounds and equations, trying desperately to memorise everything in sight for his test on monday - the one he had forgotten about until earlier that day. 

He sighed, cursing Bokuto and Nishinoya for distracting him throughout the week with talk of Volleyball and “this really cool band that’s coming to tokyo next month!”. Honestly, there was no chance of him not getting distracted when he lived with the most excitable people he’d ever had the displeasure of meeting. 

He loved them, he did. They’re the best friends a guy could ask for... they just weren't fully on board with the whole ‘education is important’ thing. Oikawa was a little better, in that he took his studies seriously - maybe a little TOO seriously sometimes - but he understood how much it meant to Kuroo. He was Kuroo’s usual study partner, however, tonight was his and Iwaizumi’s monthly ‘date night’ and who was Kuroo to stand in the way of true love? Their love-hate relationship was inspiring if nothing else. How Iwaizumi hadn’t murdered Oikawa yet remained a mystery to them all. 

Focusing back on the task at hand, Kuroo allowed the powerful vocals to wash over him as he concentrated. He couldn't afford to fail this test - it was in his worst module. If there was any subject he needed to get a better grade in (even though he was on track to getting a first) it was this one. 

Sat in his secluded alcove at the back of the library’s second floor, Kuroo immersed himself in chemistry. So much so that he didn't notice the petite blonde that had come to stand beside him for well over a minute - a minute in which she had managed to work herself into a state of panic and jumbled nerves. 

Turning down his phone volume, Kuroo observed the girl standing before him, not yet removing his headphones to address her. 

She must have been around 30cm shorter than him - definitely 30cm shorter if you decided to included his unruly bed head as part of his height. Her clothing was girly and suited her general vibe. She wore small black shoes, with silver buckles, paired with grey socks that had lace accents at the top. A soft, loose, grey dress fell to just above her knees, swishing gently as the girl fidgeted in place. Thrown over the top to compliment the look was a black, long-sleeved cardigan with white rose designs dotted about artfully. It fell large across her petite frame, one shoulder slowly sliding down her arm until it reached her elbow, where its journey was halted by the stack of books clutched to her chest. Her blonde hair was cut short, falling to just barely graze her shoulders, accentuating the soft roundness of her blushing cheeks and girlish features. Big, chocolate, doe eyes stared at the floor, glistening with uncertainty and innocence. Overall she was extremely pretty, though not usually Kuroo’s type (as he leaned towards more mature, experienced women), however, he couldn't deny the short stutter of breath that fell from his lips as he took her in. 

Kuroo was wholly confused. 

The girl stood, staring at the blue carpet before her, shaking like a leaf. 

Now, Kuroo had been told before that he was intimidating (something to do with his leery smile, claimed his friends) but for someone he didn't believe he had met before, she seemed awfully nervous. Dare he say frightened. 

More time had passed during his observations of her, in which her fidgeting had only grown worse. Finally removing his headphones, he debated whether or not he should interrupt her mumbling. Lip curling in amusement as he watched her ramble to herself under her breath. He caught the words “table”, “bothering” and “sorry” before he coughed to gain her attention.

Opening his mouth to speak, he instead found a loud, obnoxious laugh bursting from deep in his throat as he leaned over the table, messing up his already disorganised notes. 

At his cough, the girl had startled so hard with shock that the book atop the pile in her arms had jumped up, hitting her in the face, before falling to the floor with a dull thud. 

Collecting himself and the book, Kuroo turned back to see the girl furiously blushing a bright red that couldn’t have been good for her health. Taking pity on her, Kuroo once again opened his mouth, praying she was more prepared this time around.

“Hi, I’m sorry for startling you there. Is everything alright?” 

A simple enough question he thought, however, watching the girls face tumble through an array of emotions, he realised how wrong he was. She was very clearly anxious, something he was familiar with due to being best friends with Kenma all his life. Recognising her social struggle, Kuroo donned his most soothing smile and tried for a third time, using a gentle voice whilst hold out her forgotten book.

”Is there anything I can help you with?” he asked as softly as possible, treating her with the caution one would a frightened puppy. 

After a moment of tense silence, in which he worried that she would flee the library entirely, he saw her shoulders relax by a small margin. Her shaking subsiding enough that the books she held no longer rattled in her arms, which Kuroo took as a small success. 

Taking in a couple of deep breaths (another technique Kuroo recognised, thanks to his best friend) the girl finally steadied herself enough to open her mouth and ask the question she has been trying to since she first approached him.

“... Can I sit here?”


	2. Sure, why not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! 
> 
> This is my second chapter. I know that it’s not too long, but I’m hoping that as the story progresses the chapter lengths will also increase. 
> 
> I’ve decided to upload a chapter every sunday. Hopefully that is not too long of a wait for any interested readers.
> 
> Once again, please feel free to kudos or leave a comment, but if that isn’t your thing it’s fine!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy <3

“... Can I sit here?” Fell from the blonde’s lips at barely above a whisper, her shoes wearing tracks in the carpet as she slid her foot back and forth. 

It took a moment for Kuroo to fully comprehend the girl’s question, before his lips curled into a smirk. Stretching his arms above his head with the slow, deliberate intent of someone who knows how attractive they are, he lazily asked “why?”

The girl jolted at the question, her face flushing once again as she stared at Kuroo with desperation.

“Will you not let me sit with you?!” She asked with a panicked voice that was slightly too loud for their silent section of the library. 

Kuroo’s smirk was promptly wiped away as he realised how he had misjudged the situation. He knew that he was attractive. Playing sports 6 out of 7 days of the week had gifted the boy with an amazing physique, which was easy to see due to the form-fitting clothes he always wore. If one could manage to look past the disaster he called his hair, then they would say he also had a rather pleasant face. A long, slightly crooked nose (broken from one too many volleyballs to the face), full lips that were pulled into an almost constant half-smile, thin, golden eyes that saw everything, calculating and judging - but surprisingly warm - and a strong, proud bone structure to frame it all. He knew he was attractive, having gained enough confessions in his life due to said features, but his dashing good looks were clearly not the reason why the blonde has asked to sit with him. 

Realising the error in his thinking, Kuroo backtracked. If she wasn't there to confess to him, then why was she disturbing him in his peaceful little alcove? Wishing to know this, he continued his previous question - though, with a slightly less cocky smirk.

“I never said you couldn’t sit here,” he drawled, seeing her panic dissolve slightly, “however, I wish to know why you want to. Why ask to sit with me, when I know there’s four other floors with plenty of seats you can sit at?” 

The girl’s fidgeting returned with renewed vigour as her face scrunched together, nose twitching like a frightened rabbit. She opened her mouth a couple of times as if to reply, before snapping it shut with a constipated look, eyebrows furrowing so deeply Kuroo debated reaching over and prodding the wrinkles that had formed above them. Eventually she opened her mouth with the same constipated look, words tumbling forth as she glared at the wall beside his head.

“There’s too many people out there. I normally do work at my flat, but I couldn't tonight. I remembered this place from one time I got lost on this floor and I thought it would be the perfect place to study, but...” Despite the intensity in her brown eyes, her voice was once again soft and shaky, cracking at the end of her little speech. 

Kuroo wasn't entirely sure how to handle this new development. His first instinct was to say no, knowing how important his study time was. Doubting how well he would be able to concentrate with a foreign presence at his side, he opened his mouth to say as much, but when he caught sight of her distraught face he stopped himself. 

The girl reminded him of Kenma. 

For whatever reason she didn't want to study in other areas of the library and, despite her clear discomfort, she had approached him to ask for a seat at his table. Knowing how difficult something like that would have been for Kenma - and how angry he would have been had someone then turned them away - Kuroo gave a resigned sigh and huffed at the girl, a softer version of his usual side-smile gracing his face.

“Sure, why not”.

The girl rapidly sat down, shaking the table as she did, seemingly worried that Kuroo would rescind his invitation. After promptly dropping her pile of books on what little unoccupied space there was - Kuroo’s explosion of chemistry taking over the rest - she let out a quiet huff of air that could qualify as a sigh. 

Curiosity piqued, but also unwilling to let himself be distracted, knowing he fucked up in forgetting about his test tomorrow, Kuroo cautiously placed his headphones back on, preparing to get back to work. 

However, the student could only have had his head down for a minute or two when he sees the blonde girl shaking in his peripheral. Raising his head and his eyebrows, Kuroo communicates his curiosity at her fidgeting without removing his headphones. 

The girl pauses in her shuffling, once again blushing rose. Hesitantly miming at Kuroo removing his headphones she opens her mouth in question, bottom lip red and worn from worrying.

Sighing in feigned irritation, though not truly annoyed by the small rabbit-like girl, Kuroo removes one side of his headphones-

“Yes?”

The girl blushes some more at the blunt and direct question.

“Erm... excuse me...”

Pausing, she waits for Kuroo to offer his name, continuing on quickly when he doesn’t reveal it.

“Well! I was wondering if maybe... you could possibly... move some of your notes... so that I could have more room...?” 

With each pause her voice grew smaller and smaller until her final words were nothing but a whisper. Hands twisting in her lap as Kuroo observed her and the limited space he had left her on the table.

Skimming the books she had brought (about 5 of them) he saw titles about varying men and women he hadn’t head of, along with a couple on computers. Not having a complex understanding of technological jargon, Kuroo was completely lost. 

Once again, his curiosity was creeping into his thoughts, desperate to discover the girl’s degree, among other things. Deciding that a couple of minutes away from study couldn’t possibly hurt, Kuroo places his pen down and removed the other side of his headphones. 

“I’ll tell you what girlie. You give me your name and major... and then I’ll see about moving these notes, yeah?”

He grins, the sight seeming slightly manic to the terrified angel before him. 

“O-Of course! My name is Yachi Hitoka and I’m a first year student doing a degree in graphic design!”

Her initial enthusiasm drops slightly as she moves onward in her speech.

“... I need to use my laptop for my work you see and I have an important poster due at the end of the week... but I don’t really have the space right now to get it out...”

She once more gestures to the cluttered table before them, her hand shivering with nerves - most likely worried about offending or upsetting the cruel looking boy before her. 

Realising her predicament - and to be frank, his own dickish behaviour - Kuroo quickly removes most of the papers scattered across her side of the table. Understanding the stress that comes with deadlines (tomorrow weighing on his mind greatly) and knowing how hard it must have been for someone with her fragile disposition to confront him, Kuroo smiles tightly, ashamed at his own selfishness. Lightly scratching the back of his tangled nest of hair he laughs with mirth. 

“Ahhhh, sorry about that... Yachi was it? I have a deadline tomorrow that I forgot about and I got a bit too wrapped up in it. My apologies. I’m Kuroo Tetsurou, 3rd year biochemistry major, sorry for coming across as rude... although I really wasn’t expecting to be joined tonight.”

He tacks on, a small smirk reappearing, along with some of his confidence as he’s truly not one for wallowing in his mistakes. As a man with great pride - and a side of arrogance - there are very few people that get to see the soft, true, unadulterated Kuroo. Kenma and Bokuto being the main people in his life that he could fully drop his guard around. Due to this, however, he isn’t often sincere in his apologies to others, choosing not to waste time on those that don’t matter to him. He has his close circle and he likes it that way, hence why his half-arsed apology slowly slides into a cocky front, catching Yachi off guard.

The poor girl shudders as the black-haired boy seems to size her up, almost in challenge. Quickly backing away she squeaks and breaks eye contact, noticing the now-cleared desk. 

“Thank you Kuroo-san!” She all but shouts in her discomfort, pulling her laptop onto the table with a speed that could rival Usain Bolt, diving for the opportunity to run away from Kuroo’s all-knowing eyes and playful, yet... dark expression. Firmly pulling open her laptop, she dives behind the screen and starts rapidly tapping on any and all buttons, praying she looks distracted enough to prevent any further conversation.

She does not like Kuroo Tetsurou, she summarises. 

There’s something in the way he looks at her that sets her teeth on edge. It’s not dissimilar to the looks she receives from her flatmate and co, which she came to the library to get away from. However, as she peeks over the laptop to see if she has managed to avoid any further confrontation, she is faced with a soft smile and shining eyes, like the look he gave her earlier when she was panicking. It’s a gentle look, for such a rough face...

Maybe he’s not so bad.


	3. Aliens and milk-bread are pretty close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all!
> 
> Third chapter is a bit longer, reaching just over 3000 words, woo!
> 
> I hope you all continue to enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!
> 
> As said in the previous notes, please feel free to leave a comment or kudos, it would mean a lot, but if it’s not your thing don’t worry, your appreciation is all that I need! 
> 
> Welcome to the introduction of my baby boy, Trashikawa! Enjoy! <3

Three weeks later...

Yachi does not return to that small alcove in the library for quite some time, terrified of the possible demon that awaits her there. However, after a particularly harrowing encounter with her flatmate and their friends, she finds she can’t stand the obnoxious noise of the library any longer.

Ready to implode, due to annoyance at the world for placing her in such an awful environment - and at herself for caving when she said that she wouldn’t return here after the first time - Yachi trepidatiously makes her way through the bookshelves to the place of her nightmares, praying to any gods left that the boy will not be there again.

There are clearly no gods left, Yachi mourns as she turns to corner to see an unforgettable hairdo. 

However, the boy is not alone this time, and is making significantly more noise than he did during their prior encounter.

Halting nervously, Yachi observes the boy sat across from the messy student - Kuroo, she reminds herself - and promptly finds her face turning beetroot.

The boy is beautiful. 

Like. SUPER beautiful.

He has slightly-longer-than-short, chocolate brown hair that is tousled in such an artful, stylised way she debates if a professional does it for him every morning. Matching chocolate eyes hold so much warmth and laughter, with slight crows nests in the corners that draw her attention, instantly putting her at ease in a way that the dark haired boy couldn’t. A killer mouth, full of straight white teeth is pulled into a slightly-too-large smile, laughing at something Kuroo must have said, highlighting his slightly round cheeks and the smoothness of his skin. Yachi is speechless. 

Kuroo is friends with a model?!

Hesitating longer than necessary, Yachi debates if she can do this. There were now two highly attractive men sat at the table she so desperately needed, her heart aching at the thought of sitting in the crowded library somewhere upstairs. 

She’d already had an awful mental health day, having broken a university laptop in one of her earlier classes, then being stood up by her mother for their ‘weekly’ phone calls (not that that wasn’t a regular occurrence). Then her flatmate decided to shout at her for something that wasn’t her fault and VOILA! The key to one extremely worn out and anxious graphics student - one that doesn’t have the mental capacity to deal with a certain bed-headed man today.

But it looks so cosy and peaceful! Even if the two men are making more noise than is typical of their quiet stretch of library. 

She stops for a minute, just listening to them talk, fighting down her inner panic, which is oddly easy to tame. As she stands there, she realises that their conversation (not that she has any clue what they are talking about) is soothing her in a way that few things can nowadays. 

“Deep breaths Hitoka, you can do this” she mumbles to herself, as she slowly paces towards the table, steeling her nerves.

Thankfully the table was fairly big, bigger than she remembered, now that Kuroo’s notes weren’t taking over the space like an overgrown garden. More than enough space for her to curl up in the corner and join them, she thinks, nodding to herself in feigned confidence.

Moving up to the unknown boy’s side she quietly clears her throat.

Cat-like eyes are upon her in an instant as she sends up a prayer to give her strength. Noting how those eyes appraised her yellow, baggy jumper and grey leggings, before snapping to her face with noticeable intrigue, she straightens her spine and speaks.

“Hello again, Kuroo-san. I was hoping I would be able to sit with you again—” pausing at the raised eyebrow of the other she hesitates, not feeling overly welcome. 

Fidgeting slightly, she turns to the other and, at his also raised eyebrow and leery smile, she realises what he thinks she has come for.

Cheeks burning hotter than the sun she squeaks and quickly tried to fumble her way out of the situation. 

“OH! Oh no! No, you see I came here the other week and Kuroo let me study with him - not THAT kind of study - and it was peaceful. NOT to say that I find his presence particularly soothing! I don’t even know him and we barely talked - OH MY GOD this is all going wrong, I’m just gonna go and dig myself a hole to die in—” she cuts herself off, body automatically turning around as she prepares to run away - screw the damn table!

However, as she takes her first step away she finds herself being pulled back by the waist, onto a strong, solid lap as the sound of laughter assaults her ears. The burning in her cheeks progresses to the tips of her ears as she looks up into the face of the model - a model whose lap she is currently sitting on.

His laughter dies down slightly as he looks over her head to ask Kuroo, “can we please keep her? I love her so much,” having been smiling brightly throughout the entire encounter.

Faces far too close for Yachi’s comfort, she scrambles backwards, away from the stranger’s lap. This, however, she realises is a mistake as she has inadvertently trapped herself at the back of the alcove, meaning if she wishes to flee, she will have to climb across one of the boys to do so. 

Great. Well done Hitoka, she berates herself.

Looking up, she feels the weight of the two men’s gazes as they observe her with fascination. Not dissimilar, she contemplates, to how a predator would watch their prey before pouncing. And BOY does she feel like prey right now.

May as well try and make friends with the predators before they eat me, she decides. 

“Umm... hi. I’m Yachi Hitoka,” she says, voice barely above a whisper as she holds her hand out to the newcomer, “it’s nice to meet you”.

Kuroo’s hyena laugh begins anew at the blatant lie that falls from her lips - He knows that meeting himself and Oikawa is far from a pleasant experience for most.

The brunette, however, lightly grasps the palm outstretched for a handshake. Gently, he turns over the hand, which is delicate in the way only a girl’s hand can be, and softly grazes her knuckles with his lips. 

Locking onto her eyes, he matches her low tone as he replies, “Oikawa Tooru, but a woman as cute as you can call me Tooru whenever she wants,” embellishing his statement with a final wink, quite proud of himself for how smoothly he delivers his greeting.

Oh, how short-lived that pride is!

As Yachi promptly hits him in the face, during her rush to remove her hand from where it is still resting against his lips. 

Another round of obnoxious laughter bursts from the other side of the table as Kuroo throws himself backwards with glee. Oikawa’s tried-and-true way to a girl’s heart had been foiled! 

The laughter was slowly becoming a sound Yachi grew to dread, as it always meant her imminent embarrassment. All she had wanted to do was study, she mourns, debating the benefits of crawling under the table to escape the rapidly declining situation. Is her mental health really that much safer here, than in other areas of the library? Probably not.

Fumbling in panic at the realisation that she had hit the handsome boy in the face she flutters her hands around him, not daring to touch. 

“Oh my goodness! I am so so sorry, are you alright?! It’s just your mouth was on my hand and I panicked! I’m not usually this clumsy I swear... although I did break a laptop today... and that cup earlier this week...” trailing off into a mumbled tale about her clumsy expeditions, Yachi realises just how accident prone she truly is.

Sitting on the sidelines of this mental epiphany, Kuroo and Oikawa take in the small, jittery girl, locking eyes above her head.

“So we’re keeping her, right?” Oikawa asks in earnest, longing to protect this innocent child before him, having already become attached to the flustered tornado that is Yachi Hitoka. After all, it’s not everyday that a girl can resist his charms - he needs to know more! 

Sighing in reply, Kuroo observes the blonde, wondering what could possibly have happened to her to make her so nervous all the time. She was cute, fashionable and - though he was loath to admit it - endearingly awkward. What reason could she have to lack confidence? Taking the girl in again with his eyes, he sighs once more before answering Oikawa, the girl too stuck in her musings to notice the conversation being held above her head.

“Yeah we’re keeping her,” he says, rolling his eyes in humour before continuing, “but she’s not a pet or play thing you can just do what you want with, Tooru—” he hesitates.

Looking back at the small student, he feels a rush of fondness overtake him. He had felt the same pull towards her the last time they met, almost a month ago. The girl was excruciatingly small and fragile, some more animalistic part of his brain noting how easily breakable she was. The need to protect her was almost instant during their first meeting. So much so that he had found himself actively searching for her bouncy, blonde ponytail when crossing the courtyard for classes, or whilst he was getting food in the cafeteria. Seeing her again now, three weeks later, he notes that his need to protect her hasn’t diminished in the slightest. He spares a thought for Kenma, and the similarities between the two small, shy, pale-haired creatures. 

Apparently he has a thing for adopting strays. 

Continuing on he makes deliberate eye contact with Oikawa, lowering his voice to say, “she reminds me of Kenma. I don’t know much about her, but she has similar mannerisms to them and I don’t want her to get hurt. We aren’t exactly the most... mentally stable bunch.” He chuckles slightly, thinking of Bokuto and Tanaka’s escapades, before hardening his voice and narrowing his eyes at the attractive man across from him. “Don’t hurt her Oikawa, if you want to be friends with her fine, but no playing with her feelings or stringing her along,” he sighs, wondering why he is so concerned for the well-being of a girl he barely even knows. He chalks it up to her reminding him of Kenma, his powerful feelings for his friend clouding his judgement. 

Oikawa, however, has no such reservations. Eyeing his cat-like friend across the table, a Cheshire cat grin peels back from his lips. 

Kuroo likes her.

This petite, mousy, innocent girl. 

His smile grows thinking of all the fun he can have with this... but he isn’t an awful person and he can acknowledge the truth and validity of Kuroo’s worries. Deciding then and there to take the girl - Yachi - under his wings, he promises to keep her innocence and virtue safe from the car-crash they called their friendship group and to be wary of her health, understanding himself how it is to struggle with mental illness, thinking back on his depression during high school. 

Vowing to be on his best behaviour with the angel sat beside him, he promises no such thing about Kuroo - he has to satisfy his meddling fix somehow, and teasing the boy about his new crush was the perfect way to rile the biochemistry student up. 

However, now is not the time. Kuroo evidently isn’t self-aware enough to have realised his crush yet and Oikawa wouldn’t force it. BUT, when the time comes, there’s no way that Tooru will abandon the chance to tease his sly, antagonistic friend and give him a taste of his own medicine.

Looking back at the blonde, Oikawa watches her giant, doe eyes flit between Kuroo and himself, wondering what she missed. Smiling jovially, due to his recent discovery, he sets out to figure out what he can about the tiny creature.

“So, Yachi! Tell me about yourself. What year are you in, what do you do, what are your interests?” 

Jumping a little at the sudden onslaught of questions, Yachi finds herself leaning towards Kuroo for help. Remembering how he kept to himself and didn’t pry into her private life during their study session - if one could even call it that - she involuntarily seeks refuge beside him, from his more forceful companion. 

And Kuroo, despite what others might think of him, is not oblivious. He notices Yachi’s hesitance and body language - shying away from Oikawa - but chooses not to intervene, finding he is also interested in what the blonde has to say. Big, brown eyes look up at him in panic, but they clearly find no offer of help in his permanent smirk, eyebrow raised as if to say ‘go on...’ 

With an audible intake of breath, Yachi steels herself, turning away from Kuroo with a slight attitude. Good, Kuroo thinks. Be annoyed at me. At least now he knows that, given a push, the girl will not fall apart, but rather rise to the task at hand. It’s a step in the right direction, he thinks. If she wants to spend more time at his table, running away from whatever problems she has outside of the library, she’s going to need a bit of backbone. She wont survive Noya and Tanaka otherwise. He dreads to think what her opinion of Bokuto will be, with his dramatic personality, unusual hair and... unpredictable mood-swings. 

Shaking off the thought of her meeting his friends, he zones back into the conversation at hand.

“— and I like reading and painting! Anything creative can be fun! Drawing, sewing, writing... whatever comes to mind!”

Face flushed with passion, Yachi finishes telling Oikawa about her love for art - in all forms. 

How cute. Rosy cheeked and bright-eyed, the girl is undeniably attractive, even Oikawa, in all his gay triumph can see it.

Grinning back at the girl, he asks, “oh really? How did you get into art? And why take graphic design instead of fine art, or something more physical?” Unable to contain his own excitement and barrage of questions. The girl was an open book, wearing her heart on her sleeve. He wanted to wrap her up in a little yellow bow - to match her jumper - and take her home with him to present to Iwaizumi as their newest child. 

The blonde hesitates for a moment, thinking how to word her answers so as not to give too much away, not realising the apparent emotions flitting across her face. 

But, before either of the boys can question it she replies.

“Well, my mother is an artist you see, so I guess it’s in my blood or something? She’s REALLY good... a professional! Her work is in galleries and art shows...” Yachi’s face takes on a wistful look, thinking of her mother’s amazing art. She can only dream of one day making art on the same scale, but knows that realistically, her art will never surpass that of her mother.

Brushing away her negative thoughts she continues, “as for my degree, graphics was just the more logical choice! Drawing and painting takes a huge amount of talent... talent that I don’t have. Whereas graphics is easier. Anything drawn can be uploaded and edited... plus it’s a much more marketable form of art. I have a better chance of getting a job when all of this is done if my degree is in graphics, rather than art. So yeah! What about you, Oikawa-san? What do you do?”

Kuroo doesn’t even attempt to subdue the large eye-roll and snort that accompany Oikawa’s subsequent hair flick at being asked about himself. 

“Who me?” He questions, like the drama-gay he is. “I’m surprised you haven’t heard of me,” he throws out with a wink before explaining, “I’m the main setter for UoT’s volleyball team. One of the best university teams in the country, did you know? Of course, that’s largely thanks to me and my AMAZING skills. Getting the ball to whoever needs it, pushing it up with that perfect swish, straight into the palm of the spiker... ah, perfection” he sighs wistfully. Yachi watching on in part-awe, part-wariness, both dazzled and confused by the energetic and passionate relationship Oikawa clearly has with volleyball.

“And of course I’m also the resident, sought-after model for all of the photography and fashion students. They could never survive without their muse” he claims, reiterating the idea with another hair flick, mixed in with some jazz hands around his own face, truly emulating the picture of a self-absorbed, famous model. However, Kuroo knows that modelling is just a side gig for Oikawa, little being more important to the man than volleyball. 

Though aliens and milk-bread are pretty close.

By this point, Yachi is a fully floundering mess again.

How does one address a model? A famous person?! He’s practically university royalty! What could he possibly want with her? What if one of his fan clubs get a picture of them sitting together?! SHE’S DEAD!

Fizzling down into the soft leather bench of the alcove, like a slowly deflating balloon, Yachi melts into a puddle of panic, only being pulled out of her despair by a harsh elbow to the side, and the deep, rough growl of Kuroo to Oikawa.

“For fucksake Shittykawa, look what you did! I told you to be gentle with her! She’s probably worried about being mauled by those crazy fans of yours—”

An oddly accurate analysis, Yachi notes. Maybe Kuroo is more observant than she thought, having pegged him as someone who didn’t care for things outside of his circle of interest. 

“—She already hit you in the face because you overwhelmed her, what made you think shoving all of your ‘achievements’ in her face was a good idea?!” He finishes scathingly, worried by the girl’s dramatic over-reaction. Maybe he needs to start carrying an oxygen mask around with him for when she starts panicking, he wonders... it would probably help other members of his squad too, now that he thinks about it. God they are a fucked up bunch.

“I didn’t MEAN to hit him in the face!” Comes the small, indignant reply to his rant. Yachi having recovered enough to defend her previous actions. As if she would ever deliberately hit someone in the face like Kuroo was insinuating... what a jerk!

Sitting back up with a huff and a blush at her reaction, she bows to Oikawa with an apology.

“I am sorry Oikawa-san, you overwhelmed me. However, it is amazing that you have something you are so passionate about. I am glad you enjoy your modelling and sports, though I cannot say that I am very familiar with either...” she trails off at the looks being given to her by both boys.

“You mean...” Kuroo starts, leaning towards her with the most open expression she’s seen on him yet. 

“You don’t know about volleyball...?” Oikawa finishes, with an equally open and shocked expression.

With the two strange men staring at her so, Yachi can’t help but wonder, what has she gotten herself into now?!


	4. There was rainbows and glitter and what the fuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4!!
> 
> Finally y’all will get a bit of backstory!
> 
> Just want to say thank you for all of your lovely comments, it really fuels my passion to keep writing and developing this fic!
> 
> Hopefully you all will continue to love it as much as I do
> 
> All my love n gratitude, El! <3

After a gruelling, hour-long conversation on the basics of volleyball - who knew you could even talk about volleyball for over an hour and still have things to say?! - Yachi finds herself slightly wiser to the fundamentals of a sport she will never play, an hour behind where she wanted to be in her graphics project, and holding an invitation to a ‘practice match’ happening two weeks from now at the university gym.

If she wasn’t overwhelmed by the two students before, she certainly is now. Having managed to weasel out of the conversation and into her headphones, she’s finally able to get some work done.

It is about 2 hours later - 11:30pm her laptop tells her - when she receives a light pat to the shoulder by Mister Bedhead, as she has so lovingly dubbed him - Mr. B for short.

Remembering her skittish behaviour from a couple weeks prior, plus her poor reaction to any tactile attempts on Oikawa’s behalf - he snorts picturing her hand flying into Oikawa’s face - Kuroo lightly taps the girl on her shoulder, before moving backwards. Giving her warning and distance, he tries not to startle her. Despite what you may think, he’s not a complete jackass, PLUS he and Oikawa agreed look after the small, bunny-like girl. 

“O-oh! Yes, hi?” Yachi questions, curious as to what Kuroo could want.

Smiling placating, Kuroo tilts his head to the right towards Oikawa, who Yachi can now see is clearing up his work and packing it all away into a soft, brown leather satchel. He even looks cool and stylish whilst packing his things up, Yachi mourns. 

Taking note that they are getting ready to leave, Yachi finds herself with a slight twinge in her stomach. Despite her earlier concerns, once the two boys had finished enthusiastically telling her about spikes and receives and floating things she can’t remember, they had actually settled down and worked diligently. The three of them had contented themselves with working together in the quiet, their study occasionally being interrupted by small questions and light conversation as they slowly got to know each other. 

Oikawa was a third year, like Kuroo, she’d discovered, doing a joint masters in physics and sport. An odd combination, she’d thought, but having listened to him and Kuroo arguing about whether chemistry or physics was better, she could see that he was truly passionate about the subject, just as he was about volleyball. 

He told her about how he and Kuroo met - a volleyball tournament during high school - and hated each other instantly, which was shocking to hear considering how well they got along now. According to Kuroo, the two were too sarcastic and witty, constantly clashing, trying to one-up the other. It was only when another of their friends came along - Bokuto, she believes they called him? A literal ray of sunshine apparently - that they toned it down and realised they could have so much more fun if they teamed up to torment their mutual friend instead of eachother. However, when Yachi raised her concerns for their friend - fearing how anyone could cope under the joint pressure of the two deviants - they both just smiled brightly, Kuroo explaining how ‘Kou’ was just happy that his two friends were getting along, even if he was the brunt of their teasing. Too pure.

Brought back to the present by a short, deliberate cough to her right, Yachi realises she had spaced out, thinking about how pleasant the past couple of hours had been. Turning her attention back to the matter at hand she looks to Kuroo, who takes that as an invitation to speak, slowly getting used to the girl’s tendency to zone out of conversations, lost in her own thoughts.

“Hi,” he chuckles with a slight smirk. “As you can see, we are leaving now. It’s getting pretty late...” he trails off, looking to Oikawa for some sort of confirmation, which he must get by the slight nod Oikawa replies with, before continuing to put away his notes. Turning back to Yachi, Kuroo presses on, “so if you were wanting to leave with us, we thought we could walk you home. It’s pretty dark out now,” he pauses, considering the pitch black sky that is visible through a window further down the hall, “and this isn’t the safest area for a girl as cute as you to be wondering alone at night. So, if it’s alright with you... we will be your chaperones for the night!” He ends with a flourish, gesturing between himself and Oikawa, who strikes a ridiculous pose - one hip jutted out obscenely, with a hand resting on it sassily, the other pulled up into a peace sign around his eye, which is scrunched up into a not-so-successful wink. 

Unable to contain herself, Yachi bursts into giggles, hiding behind her hands in an attempt to block out her new friends’ antics. 

Stars and rainbows and sparkles spring forth! Both boys are floored, mouths hanging open as they bear witness to the most angelic thing they have even seen or heard. As Yachi’s giggles raise in volume, Kuroo flings a hand to his heart, searching for a pulse, because surely he’s too young to have died and gone to heaven yet. 

In a similar state, the ever preened and primped, ready-for-anything, Oikawa Tooru is speechless - a first, let Iwaizumi tell you - hand fumbling for his phone in an attempt to eternize the moment forever, through the power of video. Hands shaking, he manages to catch the end, Yachi’s laughter filtering down as she removes her hands from her face to reveal a beaming smile of straight, white teeth, flushed cheeks and eye-smiles for days. 

Ending the video in a daze, Oikawa opens messenger and sends the video to Iwaizumi with the caption ‘I adopted a child today. Congrats on becoming a father!’ After hitting send, he slides the phone back into his pocket, shaking himself out of the starry haze Yachi’s laughter had sent him into.

Looking to the left, he can tell that Kuroo hasn’t regained his senses yet, so Oikawa, being the good friend that he is, steps in to prevent him any embarrassment, pulling the blonde girl’s attention to himself. 

“Angel-chan, you can’t laugh at me like that!” He jokes. “That was a very serious, super professional model pose I just struck! You should be wowed and awed by my beauty, not all can pull of what I just did” he says, trying to remain serious, but after the girl reveals another peal of laughter at his obvious lies, he finds his lips curling up into a genuine smile.

Ah, he thinks, now that’s not something that happens often. Having been someone that has enjoyed the limelight since his high school days, Oikawa has a full range of fake looks and smiles, ready to be pulled out at any given time for his fans or reporters. Not a lot phases the boy anymore AND YET, this small, innocent thing has managed to gain a sincere smile from him - not Oikawa, The Grand King, but HIM. Tooru.

Grin deepening at the realisation, Oikawa knows that there’s no chance of them letting the girl go now. Once the others find out that she tore a real smile from THE Oikawa Tooru, she’s never going to be allowed to leave. The poor girl, he thinks with a laugh.

Smiling down at the girl, Oikawa steps to the side and holds up an arm. 

“My lady.”

Kuroo snorts from somewhere to his right. Good, at least he’s finally snapped out of it, Oikawa thinks, ignoring his friend for the girl before him that is once again blushing red, hands outstretched as they had been gathering her things.

“Did you just call me... Angel-chan?!” She squeaks, unfamiliar with such compliments.

Oikawa laughs, realising what has her so flustered. “Why yes I did, Angel-chan! It’s a cute name, is it not? All of my other friends have nicknames, so you need one too! Now. If that’s all, lets get this show on the road. Chivalry isn’t dead yet folks!” He exclaims, looking to the side as if commentating to and invisible camera, like he’s on an episode of The Office.

With another snort from Kuroo, Yachi remembers herself and finishes packing away her things.

Meanwhile, the biochemistry major - having finally recovered control of his limbs, after Yachi’s cuteness attack - strolls over, keeping a leisurely gate as he does so, before hooking an arm around Oikawa’s shoulder. 

“What the hell was that?!” He whispers violently into Oikawa’s ear, the latter flinching away. “There was rainbows and glitter and what the fuck Tooru?! Is she a fairy or some shit? You saw it too right?!” Desperation tinging his voice. 

Wriggling around within Kuroo’s death grip, Oikawa manages to catch a glimpse of the boys features, before falling to the floor in hysterics.

With flushed cheeks and wide eyes, the boy had looked like one of those lovestruck fools from the cheesy romcoms Bokuto and Tanaka love so much! As someone that Oikawa would consider a long time friend of his, he can say with confidence that he has never, EVER seen such a look on Kuroo’s face before. The boy has a perpetual cat-that-got-the-cream look about him. Smug and sassy are two of the first words that come to mind when describing the wily middle blocker - not blushing and awestruck! Man is Bokuto gonna have a field day with this when he finds out about this.

Straightening up, Oikawa wipes away his tears and merely nods at the boy in agreement. Yachi truly is a wonder. How Kuroo had managed not to scare her off was a mystery in and of itself - will wonders never cease?!

Standing from the floor, Oikawa grins at his panicked friend and offers up his other arm. “I do believe you are in need of some help there, good gentleman! May I assist you?” He mocks, trying not to laugh as he gets shoved away by Kuroo, who seems to have finally gotten a hold on his emotions, thanks to Oikawa’s display of fake generosity.

Facing away from his alien-loving friend with a disgruntled shrug, trying not to give in to his own laughter at the absurd situation, Kuroo turns to find Yachi watching them with amused eyes. Having finished packing away her things a little while ago, the girl has watched the boys’ playful antics with humour, admiring how close the two are, missing her own friends with a passion. Her old high school group of 5 had all split off to different universities, the closest one being an hour away by train, though they all regularly call or FaceTime.

Considering it now, she realises that she is overdue a phone call with her own friendship group’s personal ball of sunshine. Vowing to call him soon, she steps out from behind the table and begins to head downstairs, the two boys trailing after her, still caught in the humour of their previous tomfoolery. 

As the three of them make their way towards the exit, Yachi argues with herself. Does she really want to have two strangers walking her home? She barely even knows them... but after watching how they behaved today, she can’t believe that they are bad people. Still, it’s a little too early to be showing strangers where she lives, she decides. Plus, her housemate was in rare form earlier when she left... she doesn’t want her new friends - are they my friends? - to see how pathetic she is.

Turning back towards her new acquaintances, she finds herself craning her neck upwards, only now realising just how much taller than her small frame the other two are. 

Taking a large step backwards so that she isn’t straining her neck as much, the girl smiles at the two, giving a small bow.

“As much as I appreciate the offer Kuroo-san, Oikawa-san, I’m afraid I must refuse. Besides the fact that I am more that capable of walking myself home,” she pauses, fixing the two with what she hopes is a confident grin, “I also made plans to call my friend on my way home,” she finishes. Thinking of her need to call Hinata, she realises that what she is saying isn’t too far from the truth, deciding then and there that she was actually going to call him on her journey home. 

The two gents look at one another, wanting to respect the girl’s wishes on one hand, but also wanting to keep her safe.

“... are you sure?” Oikawa finally asks hesitantly, before flashing a grin, “chivalry really isn’t dead yet, you know?” 

Laughing at the reference to their earlier banter, she replies, “I know, Oikawa-san, but I’m sure! My friend will be on the line if anything were to happen to me, he’d make sure I was safe!”

Both boys tense up at the mention of something happening to the girl, but loosen their shoulders and agree to her decision. 

“Well,” Kuroo drawls, “this has been nice and all, but we have practice at 6am” he says, motioning between the two of them. “The fun never stops it seems! Even when running on only 5 hours sleep.”

“Oww! And I wanted to watch that new conspiracy video before bed too! Iwa-chan will never let me now!” Oikawa whines at the reminder of how late it has gotten, due to their delayed studying in favour of a volleyball history lesson for Angel-chan. Oh well, at least his new friend now has a basic understanding of the sport - a necessity within their group.

Kuroo barks out a laugh, before hooking an arm around the other’s neck to begin dragging him in the direction of home. 

With a final call above Oikawa’s whines about ‘hair’, ‘curls’ and ‘artfully tousled Cat-chan!’ Kuroo says to Yachi, “it was nice to see you again Chibi-chan, don’t be a stranger! You know this one wont!” He laughs, indicating towards Oikawa with a final tug of his neck, before disappearing into the dark street. 

Pausing to give a light chuckle, thinking about all that had happened in just a matter of hours, Yachi begins the walk back to her flat.

With only the dark for company, she grows hesitant, remembering the altercation that had happened earlier in the day with her flatmate.

She had returned home from her university lectures at about 3pm that afternoon and could only have been inside of her shared apartment for a total of five minutes, before her housemate had come storming into her room in a fit of rage, waving about a piece of black cloth.

“WHAT the HELL did you DO?!” She all but screamed, shaking the black item with even more vigour.

“I-i-i I don’t know what you are talking about Suzumeda-san!” Yachi squeaked back.

“Of course you know what I’m talking about! You were on flat ironing duty this week, were you not? LOOK AT IT! My top is RUINED!” The girl proceeded to unfold the black material, which eventually took the form of a strappy, silk top. 

From afar Yachi couldn’t see what was wrong with the top - and to be honest, she was pretty sure that she had never seen that particular item before in her life, never mind a couple of days ago on their ironing pile - however, as Suzumeda moved forwards a large scorch mark revealed itself, the material bunching and pulling together, having become victim to too high of a heat.

Face twisting in confusion, Yachi looks back up to her aggressive flatmate and replies, “I’m so sorry Suzumeda-san, but I’ve never seen that top before. It wasn’t on the pile this weekend I swear!” 

“Are you calling me a liar, little Yachi-chan?” Suzumeda asks, poison coating her words.

“N-no of co-course not!” Yachi cries, trying to recall anything about the top before her, but she truly has never seen the item before. “I just can’t remember ironing it! I am so so sorry!”

“I can’t believe it. I was going to wear this to Keiji’s recital tonight, but look at it! I’ll never be able to wear it again,” she mourns, lost in her own misery.

Meanwhile, Yachi’s mind is whirring, trying to place where she has seen the item before...

“Hey... Suzumeda-san? Didn’t Yukie borrow that top from you a little while ago?” Yachi cautiously asks, a sudden memory from a couple of weeks prior flooding her mind as she remembers watching Yukie and Suzumeda head out to one of Keiji’s gigs, Yukie wearing the top. 

“Are you insinuating that my BEST FRIEND did this to my top, you little BITCH?!” Suzumeda fumes, rearing back as if to hit the girl, before catching herself.

Staring down at her, Yachi sees a plethora of emotions crossing her housemates face, praying that Suzumeda is listening to her and remembering too. However, with a sharp lift of her head, the girl’s eyes clash with her own, venomous as a viper.

“You did this!” She hisses, spittle flying towards the frightened mouse before her, “and YOU will be paying for a new one since you ruined it!” She finishes, flouncing out the door with a satisfied glint in her eye, leaving no room for rebuttal.

For a minute or so afterwards Yachi just sits on her bed, holding back tears. The girl may be innocent, but she’s no idiot. She knows that Suzumeda came to the same realisation about Yukie that she did, but instead of apologising or backing off, she still uses the situation to monopolise Yachi into doing what she wants. She’s a manipulator. 

But Yachi already knows this from the past month and a half of living with her. 

She remembers her excitement for starting university. Getting the train across the country to her new apartment in August was liberating, finally being free and able to become her own person - Yachi Hitoka. 

She was the first one to arrive at the flat, unpacking her things with eagerness. Suzumeda did not arrive till a few days later, but when she did, she caused a storm. Banging through the apartment with the assertiveness of someone that owned the place - which she certainly did not, they were splitting the bills and rent - she barged into Yachi’s room, without even acknowledging the other. 

After contemplating the room for a moment, only then did the girl address Yachi—

“Hey! I want this room. It’s only fair since I will be having my friends over loads and I need the space more than you do,” she says, clearly eyeing Yachi’s minor decorations with distaste. “I wasn’t here when you were, so I never got to make my own bid for the room,” she continues, face lightening into something palatable, as she stares beseechingly into Yachi’s eyes, “don’t you think it’s unfair that you picked the biggest room without consulting me? What kind of housemate would do that? Don’t you want to be friends?” She asks, having already figured out Yachi’s weaknesses. 

Openmouthed, Yachi stares at the girl for a moment, before hesitatingly standing off the bed, going into a deep bow. 

“I-i-i am so sorry! I didn’t think about it in that way, but I suppose you are right. It was rude! And I do wish to be friends with you! I suppose I don’t have many belongings and I really do not have a preference for which room I stay in... but if it bothers you then I will move! My name is Yachi Hi—”

“Don’t care! Move it bitch, you’re in my space. And stop blubbering, it’s irritating” she snapped, before storming out of the door with a slam. That was her first interaction with her housemate.

Coming back to the present Yachi pulls out her phone and makes to call Hinata.

Yeah... there’s no way she could have let those boys walk her home, she decides. Though she wouldn’t necessarily call them her friends yet, she knows that she would like to one day. However, that won’t happen if they realise what a loser she is, letting herself be controlled and walked all over... she’s pathetic... and they are amazing. So confident and strong. What would they possibly see in a girl like her? 

Sighing to herself, she listens to the ringing of her call going through.

“Hey Hinata!” She says, putting on a smile as she wanders off into the night.


	5. You Still Should Have Consulted Me Before Adopting Another Child...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meet the boys! (Well... all but one of the boys 😉).
> 
> I love my children so much and writing about them is a genuine pleasure. I hope you enjoy this chapter as a snippet into the life of Kuroo & Co.
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments!
> 
> Hope everyone is still with me and enjoying it! 
> 
> Peace out, my volleybabes xoxo

“Aurghhuah.” Kuroo sighs as he face-plants the sofa, already dreading waking up for volleyball the next morning - that day? Is it past midnight yet? Kuroo isn’t sure and he REALLY doesn’t want to find out.

A grand total of 10 seconds passes before he feels his lungs constricting as someone lies on top of him. And then another. And then another.

Finding it difficult to breathe, and impossible to speak in more than a grumble, thats exactly what Kuroo does. 

With a “hurghnnnmph,” he manages to turn his head to the side and get a good look at who decided to make him their latest mattress. Bokuto of course is lying directly on top of his bro, with Tanaka above that, baring his shark teeth in a vicious grin, then onto Noya at the top, performing some kind of pretzel, yoga pose with a balance Kuroo can only be amazed by. Though it isn’t the first time Kuroo has seen his short friend performing such twists and bends of the body, he always finds himself unable to tear his eyes away, Noya seeming to defy the laws of physics themselves.

Long ago, when their group of friends was not a group at all, but rather rivals, only dreaming of passing their exams and getting into university, Nishinoya and Tanaka discovered that their beloved Kiyoko-san had taken up yoga. Filled with an ‘unbridled passion’ to connect to their one true love, the two set out on a heart-felt journey towards meditation and qi. 

Too bad the journey only last about a week, before the two scampered off in search of a different way to prove their love.

The yoga, however, was something that stuck. Nishinoya found that he enjoyed the challenge it presented, having experienced regular workouts to be too boring, unable to tame his overflowing energy - not including his shocking stamina from years of volleyball practice. The activity increased his mobility and flexibility, allowing him to pull off more ridiculous stunts as a libero too, with less chance of injury. 

Throughout his time training, he could never get the meditation part down for some reason... but over the years has become a successful yoga doer, as he is currently demonstrating to Kuroo’s blatant horror, body contorted into some kind of swan/tree hybrid.

The three below him watch on in fascination for the next minute or so, before Kuroo’s wheezing gets too loud, spurring the others into action. Noya performs his classic ‘rolling thunder’ to dismount, wheeling around on the floor for a moment, before sitting down cross-legged with glee - clearly not as concerned as Kuroo about having to wake up in 5 hours time. 

Staring at the boy with mild fear - what an absolute monster - Kuroo feels his body being pulled up by strong arms into a sitting position on the sofa. As he goes to finally inhale after being squashed for so long—

WHACK!

Off the sofa he falls with another wheeze, this time one of pain as he looks over his shoulder to Bokuto with betrayal in his eyes.

Mouth and eyes comically wide, Bokuto stares at where his friend is now sprawled across the coffee table, due to his over enthusiastic pat on the back.

Shit.

“I am so sorry bro! It’s just you weren’t breathing after we got off you and I was worried about you, cos you know you have that whole mantra thing about breathing and blood flowing so the brain works! Well you weren’t breathing so I got worried your brain might stop working! And I can’t have a braindead bro!” He wails with a deep inhale of his own, having pushed his entire speech out in one breath. 

Staring up at Bokuto with what can only be described as a ‘What The Fuck Are You On’ face, Kuroo has to remind himself he loves his bro and that just because he isn’t as intelligent in the biology department as Kuroo himself is, he still has many amazing qualities... but still.

“Bokuto. Bro. If you don’t shut up right now I’m not liable for whatever damage may befall you.”

It takes a second before Bokuto whips his head to the left in confusion, a tired voice translating, “Kou, if you don’t shut up he’s gonna beat your ass... so shut up.”

Lifting his head, Kuroo turns to smile at his best friend, not having known they were in the room as he didn’t notice them during his journey to flop onto the sofa. 

“Hey Kittycat, thanks for the help.” He says sarcastically, though the smile on his face is still soft and genuine, unable to be mad at his childhood best friend. 

Rolling off the coffee table in a brilliant impression of a ragdoll, Kuroo army crawls his way towards the loveseat in the darkest corner, where Kenma resides, waving off the whispered “sorry bro” that comes from behind him. He’s not truly angry, just tired and in pain. He’ll make Bokuto breakfast in the morning to show all is forgiven.

Wiggling his way up and onto the loveseat, Kuroo dramatically drapes his body across the shoulders of his pudding-headed friend. Looking over their shoulder, Kuroo settles down for five minutes. He’s always found watching them game to be something that soothes his soul, often going over to their house after fights with his parents or bad volleyball practices during his teenage years. 

Relaxing now into the seat as the burning handprint on his back begins to dull - damn, thats gonna leave a killer bruise in the morning, he thinks - he zones back into his surroundings, watching as Noya, Bokuto and Tanaka all sit around the TV, playing an oddly silent game of Mario Kart. 

Silent playing is something that all of them have learnt to do over the years, so as not to wake up others in the apartment that are sleeping - sure on most days they are loud and boisterous, screaming insults at one another as they try to kick the remotes from other players hands, however, playing volleyball means that they all have a deep appreciation for sleep. On top of that, four of them are in their final year of university, meaning sleep is absolutely vital if they wish to survive as actually get their degrees. 

So, being the good friends that they are, ‘The Silent Games’ were developed. It’s a pretty hilarious game for all that are involved and any cheating is legal, so long as no noise is made. 

Watching his friends from his perch atop Kenma’s head, Kuroo can safely say that he wouldn’t dream of being friends with any other bunch of idiots. Trying not to laugh is futile as he watches Nishinoya jump into a squatting position, mouth the words “rolling thunder” and leap sideways into Tanaka’s lap in his best attempt at a no-handed cartwheel, needing both hands to stay in control of Waluigi, as he forces Tanaka’s matching Wario into the depths of the goldmine.

Bokuto sniggers as he dodges an errant foot flying towards his face from the dog-pile beside him, Birdo racing towards the finish in first place. Jumping up in success, he turns towards the loveseat and picks up it’s two participants, throwing them into the air with joy. Whilst Kuroo is used to being lugged around by Bo and therefore just lets it happen with a slight grin, Kenma clearly does not appreciate the celebratory toss into thin air, clawing at Bokuto’s neck in an attempt to find leverage and not be hurled into the sky. 

With a final heave, Bokuto ends his celebrations, high-fiving Kuroo while Kenma slinks off to the loveseat again, with a glare and a hiss. What a cute Kittycat, Kuroo thinks with a sadistic grin.

Moving over to sit infront of the TV next to his friends, he picks up the remaining Wii mote, setting his character choice to Daisy, as always. 

When the eight of them began living together - and therefore gaming together - they found that game nights usually derailed into hour long arguments over who played as which character, resulting in a set ‘character schedule’ to be made:

• Iwaizumi - Bowser  
• Oikawa - Princess Peach  
• Bokuto - Birdo  
• Akaashi - Dry Bones  
• Nishinoya - Waluigi  
• Tanaka - Wario  
• Kuroo - Daisy  
• Kenma - Yoshi

And to this day there has never been any more internal fights over character choice, thanks to the list.

Fights with people outside of the flat however... we don’t talk about the Oikawa/Sugawara ‘fight for the hand of Princess Peach’ - though if you ask Noya, he has a 15 minute long video involving cake batter, fridge magnets and milk bread.

Don’t ask Noya.

Reminiscing on the crazy antics their group has managed to get themselves into, Kuroo can’t help but imagine a small, blonde ponytail sat beside himself, tongue sticking out in concentration as she tries to beat him at Mario Kart.

Will the others in the group like Yachi, he wonders. Will she like them? He knows that he and Oikawa agreed to take the girl in as one of their own, but how will she cope with the madness that is the ‘Volleyball squadTM’ as they have so lovingly dubbed themselves - the TM was Oikawa’s idea, because they apparently need to brand themselves. 

The girl is so tiny and squishable... will she really be able to hold her own with their boisterous group of friends?

Feeling a nudge from the left, Kuroo turns to find Bokuto smiling gently at him, before his head tilts to indicate the screen counting down to the race starting. A characteristically soft gesture, common enough from the buff ace, who is willing to start the game late in order to check that his bro is okay and ready to go.

Once again an image of Yachi comes unbidden to his mind. Of Bokuto helping her to play whilst Tanaka cheers her on from the sidelines, Oikawa deliberately playing poorly to let the girl experience victory, everyone cheering and laughing when she finally wins. Even though she would know they did it on purpose, she would still laugh and smile, grateful for the friendship and support... yeah. That’s something Kuroo wouldn’t mind seeing in the future, he thinks. 

As long as Yachi is capable of holding her own, he knows that his friends will be nothing but accommodating and kind to the little angel that has wormed her way into his heart.

But for now, he has a game to win. He can’t be thinking of girls when Mario Kart is at stae! Smirk curling up from the right side of his mouth, Kuroo gets ready to use every dirty trick in the book to win.

3... 2... 1... GO!

BOOM! Off they go, Noya’s Waluigi taking the lead, though they all know that no one wants to start the race in the lead, blue shells being thrown with abandon.

Leaning to the left, Kuroo begins his climb to success, whispering to Bo, “so how did Akaashi’s recital go? That was tonight, right? He say anything about it when he got in?”

The tension in Bokuto’s shoulders makes Kuroo’s lip curl in satisfaction. Mental games are his strong suit and no matter how many times he pulls on the others’ strings, they always end up falling for it, one way or another. Throwing a red shell at Birdo and watching Bokuto’s mouth downturn out the corner of his eye, Kuroo knows he’s already beaten one of his opponents. 

“I don’t know how the recital went tonight because Akaashi hasn’t come home yet.”

Now that’s a shock! Turning quickly from the game to look at his friends, he gets a replying nod from Tanaka. What Bokuto says is true.

A silent Mario Kart competition after midnight, when they have training the next morning, suddenly makes a whole lot more sense. Damn. He really does have the best bros in the world, Tanaka and Noya staying up during precious sleeping hours to make sure Bokuto doesn’t fall into one of his funks.

He hesitates, unsure how to continue now that he knows the situation. He’s not gonna goad his pal into dropping, just because he wants to win a game of Mario Kart.

“... Sorry bro. Any idea where he could be? What time was the recital supposed to finish?”

“Well it started at 8, and they usually take about two hours with a break in the middle... so thats 10, but then he will have stayed to talk to people for half an hour? Which means he should have been back at 11 latest... over an hour ago.”

Seeing the owl-haired man’s shoulders droop even more at the admission, Kuroo pauses the game, to the slight whines and grumbles of the Karasuno boys.

Turning his body to face his friend, he gives the other a gentle tap under the chin. “Bo. Look at me bud.”

He does, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes as he says, “he’s out with someone else... isn’t he?”

The ace’s crush on his high-school setter is no secret between the group and they had all thought Akaashi felt the same way, but was waiting for Bokuto to step up... this however, threw a spanner in the works.

“I don’t know man, maybe,” he says, catching Noya and Ryuu violently shaking their heads at him from behind Bokuto, “but if he has, that doesn’t mean you don’t still have a chance.

“Everyone does it at university Bo, but that doesn’t mean that it has to mean something. If that’s where he is tonight, it’s probably just stress relief or something! We’ve all seen how much pressure he’s under this year and I would personally rather he was out doing this, instead of doing something else that’s way more dangerous to himself... I know it hurts bro, but it’s his life, yeah? We have to love and support him, no matter what... it just sucks that you’re getting hurt in the process.”

Bokuto’s head tilts upwards as a couple of tears escape, before taking a deep breath and nodding with renewed vigour. 

“You’re right. It’s his life and I gotta respect that, even if it hurts. He’s allowed to do what he wants and I gotta support him in that... it’s just gonna take some time I guess,” he finishes, shoulders slumping again. 

Looking to the other boys in the room, Kuroo only receives shrugs and head shakes. Sighing, he gives Bokuto a harsh thump on the shoulder, before sitting forwards again, facing towards the TV. 

He debates with himself for a second, before giving in. What are the chances that she’ll be there, when she didn’t show her face for three weeks? 

“Hey Bo... theres a small alcove on the second floor of the library, if you go past the ancient history section, take a right where that weird diamond of computers is, and then continue straight past the bibles n shit. If you want somewhere outside of the flat to be alone for a bit tomorrow or anything. It’s really quiet... crying of any kind will not be noticed by others, so feel free to let loose—” this earns him a chuckle at least from the other, “so yeah. It’s there if you need it pal.”

With one final sniff, Bokuto nods again, bumping his shoulder against the other’s, before also facing forwards.

“Thanks man, you guys are the best... BUT NOT THE BEST AT MARIO KART!” He shouts, lunging for his wii mote and pressing play.

“Ohohoho! If thats how you wanna do this, bring it on!”

...

MEANWHILE, on the other side of the flat. Oikawa is lying in bed with Iwaizumi, having headed straight there after getting home, not allowing himself to be distracted by the wii-playing buffoons in the living room.

“Sooo what did you think?” The elongated vowel sound only furthering Iwaizumi’s regular annoyance at Oikawa’s antics.

“I think,” he replies, “that I’m far too young to be a father.”

“Boo! You’re no fun Iwa-chan! Even you, with your bull-headed, oblivious ways has to see how perfect she is!”

“I think she could be the most perfect person in the world, but you still should have consulted me before adopting another child... we already have six for fucksake Shittykawa! We don’t need to add another to the mix,” he sighs, head turning towards the door where quiet giggles can be heard from down the hallway. “I already spend every day of my life making sure Bokuto and Tanaka don’t get themselves killed in freak accidents, I can’t handle another one. No.”

“But IWA-CHAANNN! She’s Kuroo’s one true love! How can you stand in the way of that?!”

“What? What are you on about, idiot? She’s just a girl.”

“Nooo you dumb, spikes-for-brains! You didn’t see the way he looked at her... I haven’t seen him look at any girl that way, like EVER!”

“So what Trashykawa? It’s none of our business anyways. Let him have sex with her and get on with it, like all students do.”

“Noooooooo!” He draws out, even longer than before, “you don’t get it! This isn’t just a simple fuck I’m talking about here! It’s so much more than that! Did you even watch the video I sent you?!”

“What video damnit?!” Iwaizumi replies, voice raising in agitation, not understanding what the big deal is.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT VIDEO?!” Oikawa screeches, hand flying to his phone in panic. Did he not send the video, he worries. No wonder Iwaizumi doesn’t understand if he hasn’t watched the video!

Scrolling through his phone frantically, Oikawa reaches his messages with Iwa-chan to see that the video didn’t send, instead only sending a screenshot of a blurred Yachi with her hand covering her mouth.

The video! With a muffled “EEP!” Oikawa scrambles to get to his photo gallery, praying that he managed to actually take the video. With a final click, the video appears, the panicked setter slumping back onto the bed with a sigh of relief.

Forcefully shoving his phone into the face of his disgruntled boyfriend, he turns with a huff and says, “just play the damn video you prickly porcupine, maybe then you will understand why I adopted another child without your permission.”

With the most sarcastic eye-roll a person could perform whilst making no noise, Iwaizumi plays the video.

As the sparkling laughter pitters through his phone speakers, not nearly doing the girl justice, Oikawa watches a plethora of emotions cross his boyfriends face; shock, awe, amusement, protectiveness... and then satisfaction and understanding. 

Preparing to take his phone back, Oikawa is shocked when Iwaizumi moves away and plays the video again, this time analysing the girl with crystal clear focus. Silent for 10 seconds after the video stops playing for the second time, Iwaizumi turns to see his boyfriend leaning towards him with a smug grin. 

“So we’re keeping her then.” 

Not a question, but a fact.

Iwaizumi thinks back to the video. Having sensed no deceit in the blonde’s behaviour, he determines that she’s the real deal - as genuine as they come - and a well-needed addition to their merry band of weirdos. What’s one more child to look after?

“Yeah,” he smirks back, “We’re keeping her.”


	6. Apparently This Is An ‘Only One Breakdown At A Time’ Kind Of Relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! 
> 
> I got hit with an extreme case of writer’s block the other week and as a result I’m not super happy with this chapter.
> 
> HOWEVER, I had a moment of clarity yesterday and wrote close to 10,000 words, so I might double upload this week and post a chapter I’m happier with.
> 
> Anyhoo! Welcome to BokuYachi hell, because I found out the other week that in the manga Bokuto calls her ‘Yacchan’ and I just cant.
> 
> My babies need all the love and support, so here’s an indulgent chapter depicting the beginnings of a beautiful friendship...
> 
> Enjoy!

Skipping along between the dusty, unused bookshelves, Yachi hums happily to herself, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen blaring loudly through her pink headphones.

Skirt swishing softly against her thighs, the girl smiles brightly for no-one else to see. 

What a good day!

Still riding on the high from her interactions with Kuroo and Oikawa yesterday, she got home and ended up finishing her assignment within 2 hours.

Getting up that morning, she found that her good mood hadn’t diminished in any way, so she dressed accordingly - why not spread the joy through fashion? The girl strides through the library wearing a pale grey skater skirt that swishes out, swirling around her mid-thighs, paired with pale yellow knee-high cotton socks and a matching crop top. She remembers that she bought the top a couple of sizes too big - for the sake of comfort - which looks absolutely stunning on her today, the loose neck falling down one shoulder to reveal the white, lacy tank top below it. Hair half up with a pastel pink scrunchy, some soft pink lip-gloss and her traditional, black, buckled shoes top it all off - she looks adorable. 

After handing in an assignment that morning and getting top marks for it, nothing could bring her down!

That is until she turns the corner to her new library hideout and finds a black and grey haired man sobbing at the table.

Freezing in panic, Yachi realises that it’s too late to back out now, as the sobbing man is watching her with equally wide eyes, having heard her humming as she turned the corner.

Their stare-off lasts for a couple more seconds, before the beefy man - holy cow, how much does this guy work out?! - lowers his gaze back to the table and awkwardly stands up.

With a downturned mouth, the man speaks in a deep, but croaky baritone. “Sorry. I’ll get out of your way. I was told that people don’t normally come here, so I could be alone for a while, but my friend must not know that you also use this table.”

With a self-deprecating smile, the massive man claims his bag and makes to leave the alcove.

“Wait! No! You can stay! I am so sorry! I’ll leave!” Yachi rushes out in a panic, not wanting to push the man away when he is obviously more in need of the safe space than she is. 

Golden eyes turn to her, big and wide and hopeful, glistening with unshed tears.

“Really?” He asks, voice barely above a whisper, as if he doesn’t believe her.

“Of course!” She replies enthusiastically, before lowering her tone to continue, “I know what it’s like to need a quiet space to be safe in... the outside world is hard to face sometimes. Please, stay. I’ll find somewhere else to work,” she hesitates, not used to interacting with strangers, but wanting to help this one. “Is there anything I can do for you, though? Get you some water? Or tissues...?”

Sniffling, the man looks her over with narrow, confused eyes, before slowly nodding, having deemed her offer genuine.

“... some tissues would be nice, please... and some water actually.”

“Right, of course!”

With no hesitation, Yachi rushes away to find the nearest toilets and vending machine, gathering up some toilet roll and water. She pauses, before also purchasing the boy a bag of maltesers - who doesn’t want chocolate when they are sad?

Returning to the boy’s side, Yachi lays her findings onto the table before him with a gentle hand, the desire to help him trumping her nervousness at interacting with a stranger. 

“Here you go... I got you some chocolate too... chocolate always helps me when I’m sad.”

Noticing the bag of maltesers, the boy’s eyes go even wider - which is a feat in and of itself, considering they are abnormally large anyways - and tear up. Turning to the tiny thing before him, he begins to cry anew. This small, pastel princess bought him chocolate! 

“Thank you!” He cries, grabbing her into a smothering hug. Panicking for a second, Yachi holds her hands in the air, away from the boy. 

Oh shit! Oh shit he’s hugging me! I’m hugging a stranger! Should I hug him back? I think I need to! But I— Cutting off her internal monologue, Yachi lightly returns the hug, leaning her head down to rest gently against the boy’s surprisingly soft hair spikes. With the boy sitting down and her standing up, Yachi finds herself being grateful that he is tall enough to fit his head into the crook of her shoulder. Any lower and THAT would have been awkward. 

Unsure what to say or do to comfort the student - who is once again sobbing, but this time into her neck - she absentmindedly starts humming along to ‘Your Song’ by Elton John, her 70s playlist having continued on, ignorant to the fuss occurring outside of it. Stroking the boys hair, Yachi starts the slow process of combing the product out of the strands, watching as the hair falls limp onto his neck.

“— How wonderful life is, now you’re in the world,” interrupts the trance she had fallen into. The owl-haired man having begun to sing along with her humming, recognising the classic.

This continues for a couple more songs, the two humming and singing the lines to different 70s hits, until Yachi pulls away with satisfaction, having removed all of the product from the guy’s hair. The final verses to ‘Go Your Own Way’ petering out as the two look at one-another with sweet smiles and soft laughs. 

“Are you feeling a bit better?” She asks gently, surprised by her own contentment, the boy’s presence having kept her calm during what would normally have been a stressful situation for her.

“Yeah, I am actually. Or at least, I don’t feel like crying anymore,” he jokes, scratching the back of his neck bashfully.

“Oh! Thats good, I’m glad! Happy to help!” Yachi rambles, genuinely happy that she managed to help the forlorn boy.

Staring up at her, golden eyes take in the earnest expression, before crinkling into a smile. “Hey hey! What’s your name, little one?” Bokuto asks, voice rising in the silent library.

“Yachi Hitoka, pleased to meet you!” She replies, high pitched and slightly embarrassed, realising that they just cuddled in a public space for a good 10 minutes, without even knowing each other’s names. “What’s your name?”

“Bokuto Koutaro, at your service!” He grins, pointing to himself with an over exaggerated flourish.

“Ahhh, it’s nice to meet you Bokuto-san,” she says, smiling at the antics, “I’ll get out of your hair now, tho—”

“Wait! You’re leaving?!” His panicked voice interrupts, big, doe eyes staring at her beseechingly, “please don’t leave! I... I don’t exactly want to be alone right now... I did before! When I was crying. Because I didn’t want anyone to see... but now you’ve seen it anyways! So you can stay! Please stay...” the halting sentences end, his speech taking on a whining note which Yachi honestly finds highly amusing, coming from the mouth of an obvious jock.

Smiling lightly, with the infinite patience her friends know her for, she slides into the circular booth, across from him, “of course, Bokuto-san.”

A bright “thank you!” Accompanied by a blinding smile, lets her know that she’s done the right thing. Smiling back at the boy, she asks, “do you wanna talk about it?”

Golden eyes flit between her and the table for a good 30 seconds, before a dejected voice begins, “well it’s kind of embarrassing when I think about it... like I shouldn’t be upset about this. I should be a supportive friend... which I am! Just... not about this.”

He pauses, eyes lifting to see if Yachi is still following the conversation, which she is. At her gentle nod to continue, he lets it all pour out.

“Okay! So you see, there’s this guy that I’m in love with - wait, you aren’t a homophobe, are you? Oh, good! that would have made this WAY more awkward - and I’ve been trying to figure out how to confess to him, ‘cause that shit’s difficult! And all of my friends tell me that he’s waaaayy into me, yeah? An’ I trust ‘em because they haven’t lead me astray yet... well there was that one time with the 6 cats... focus Kou!

“So yeah, anyways. My friends all think he’s into me and I trust their judgement, so I was going to confess to him on his birthday, which is like 3 months away - and I know that seems like a long time, but it gives me time to prepare and it’s not like he’s going anywhere... or at least I thought he wasn’t, but then he didn’t show up last night and I guess that means he went home with someone else, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t like me anymore! I think...

“It’s all just really hard to wrap my head around and everything aches and now I’m not even sure if I should confess anymore! What if he DOESN’T like me? And I ruin the friendship? We live together too! With like 6 other friends... I would ruin everything for everyone!” Head down, Bokuto begins to tug on his now-unstyled hair, “I love him so so much, Yachi! I can’t just let him go... but what if he loves this new person... then I would have to let go.

“We met in high school, yeah? We were in the same volleyball club. I was the ace, and he was my setter, and Yachi? He was PERFECT! From the moment he showed up to tryouts! He’s so pretty - though everyone knows that - and calm and collected, with the most beautiful voice! I think everyone has had a crush on Akaashi at some point... but that’s not all, you know? He’s so much more than just his looks! And I get so angry when people just objectify him instead of appreciating his talents and personality! 

“‘Cause Yachi, he’s soooo amazing. He’s kind and gentle and pays attention to everything. I remember halfway through second year, I was having a really bad day and he just disappears for 30 minutes at lunch time, before returning with some watermelon! He remembered one time I said that my mam used to feed me watermelon when I was sad as a kid and now it cheers me up! He remembered! He always remembers. That’s one of the reasons I thought he... but apparently not.

“He’s my everything. I love him so much and I would do anything for him. It’s been 5 years since we met, and about 4 and a half since we became best friends. He knows me better than anyone in the world, even Kuroo! So I just don’t get why... I thought he loved me too. He’s my Keiji...” 

At this point the tears have started anew for Bokuto and afresh by Yachi, but something he just said strikes a chord within her.

“Bokuto... what is your friend’s name again?”

“... Akaashi? Akaashi Keiji? Why, do you know him? Please don’t tell me you slept with him last night!” On a roll, Bokuto’s mood plummets as his thoughts spiral out of control.

“No of course not! I would never Bokuto-san! But... I might know where he was last night... IF we are talking about the same person!”

“What? How?! Do you know Akaashi?” As if possessed, Bokuto’s torso flies forward across the table, face now mere inches from Yachi’s. “Yachi please. If you know something... wait! No, don’t tell me! Akaashi should tell me himself, it’s none of my business! I’m his friend. His sex life is none of my concern. If he doesn’t want to tell m—” 

“He wasn’t having sex!” Yachi bursts, before slapping her hands over her mouth, face turning dangerously purple. Lowering her hands, she stares into Bokuto’s equally wide eyes. “Oh my god. I just shouted about sex in the library. Shouted. Sex! Oh my god...” sliding down into the faux leather seats, Yachi finds herself on the verge of passing out as her eardrums are assaulted by, what is quite possibly, the loudest laugh she has ever heard. 

Removing herself from her impending panic attack enough to look over at her companion, she finds that his past frenzy is over, her own meltdown having caused his to subside. Apparently this is an ‘only one breakdown at a time’ kind of relationship.

Slowly sitting back up, using the table to steady herself, she finds that she is still a bit shaky from the grey-haired man’s previous behaviour, as well as her own... outburst.

Heaving a deep sigh and shaking her head, Yachi makes eye contact with Bokuto.

“Bokuto-san. Please tell me, was Kei— Akaashi at a recital last night?”

Nodding emphatically, the boy confirms what Yachi says, excitement thrumming throughout his entire body as he forces himself to be still and listen.

“Ahh that’s what I thought. Bokuto-san... Akaashi ended up going out for a meal late last night with some fancy musicians... apparently they were interested in him joining their company...”

“But... why wouldn’t he have come home? He wasn’t there when I woke up this morning for practice,” the boy stares beseechingly at Yachi, his new lifeline.

“Well, from what I heard, they invited him for a meal back at their hotel... it would have made sense for him to stay there for the night if they were conducting business, wouldn’t it?”

Voice barely above a whisper, the quietest the girl has heard from the man, he asks, “Yachi-chan... are you sure?”

She contemplates the question for a moment before hardening her features and nodding decisively.

“Yes. My flatmate and her friend were at the recital yesterday. They are both... big fans... of Akaashi’s. Their information wouldn’t have been wrong.” 

She reflects on the complaining she heard last night, the two girls whinging about ‘business men stealing away our Keiji-kun’. The two know everything about the poor boy. If they say that’s where he went after the recital, then that’s where he went.

Facing Bokuto, Yachi watches as a tempest of emotions crosses the boy’s face, before settling into a look of relief. Meeting her eyes, she finds herself dazzled as she is hit with the full force of his smile. Any others she has seen that day were mere imitations of this one, she thinks, understanding now that Bokuto has a face meant for laughing and smiling.

Glad that she was able to bring some light back into the boy, she smiles in return and begins to unpack her backpack onto the table between them.

If the grey-haired man had ears, they would have perked up in interest, watching her pull out her supplies. Head tilted in the way a confused dog’s would, Bokuto looks between the girl and the items with interest.

Noting his childlike enthusiasm, Yachi finds herself smiling softly, already attached to the giant man before her that acts like a small puppy. Folding her arms, she leans forward towards the boy and asks conspiringly, “hey, Bokuto-san. Would you like do help me with my project? It’s pretty fun.”

“Sure! Although... I’m not that smart in science-y things, but I’ll give it a try!” He says, reiterating his point with a flex of his bicep.

Laughing slightly, Yachi waves her hands sideways, “no, no! It’s nothing to do with science, I promise. You see, I do graphic design, but we often mix medias, meaning we have sketchbooks that we can also draw and paint in. I’m currently doing a project with the theme of ‘Animals and Humanity’...” she pauses, looking over Bokuto, who is hanging onto every word she says with a wide-eyed interest.

Thinking back to earlier, she remembers his horned hair-do and the striking resemblance he had to an owl. ‘Animals and Humanity’ eh... she thinks she knows what the main focus of her project will be now! Reflecting further, she thinks back to how she first thought that Kuroo’s eyes resembled that of a cat’s... why not create portraits of humans with exaggerated, animalistic features? Showing the ‘inner animal’ within humanity. That could work!

Smiling brightly, invigorated by her new idea, she pulls out a large sketchbook, a newspaper, some washi tape and her paints. 

“Okay Bokuto-san! First things first, lets stick pieces of newspaper down so that we don’t get paint on the table!” She says, demonstrating her point, using a pastel rainbow tape. 

“On it!” Comes the energetic reply, coping the girls movements with a lilac tape depicting unicorns. After covering the table with newspaper, Bokuto pauses, looking to Yachi with hesitance, before ripping off a square of tape with a unicorn on it. Humming happily, he reaches out and sticks it to the top corner of his gym bag - Kuroo and Oikawa are gonna be so jealous!

Smiling at his new acquisition, he turns back to the small girl before him, “done!”

“Thank you, Bokuto-san! Now, pick whichever paints you would like and please draw feathers all over the page infront of you,” she says as she slides her sketchbook across the table.

“Any paints?!”

“Any! They can be as realistic or as abstract as you would like! Just your interpretation of feathers!” 

“Ohoho! Okay!” He say, smiling as he pulls out the grey, black and yellow paints, “are you going to be doing the same thing, Yacchan?”

Fumbling for a moment at her newly acquired nickname, she drops her pencils with a clatter. “N-no Bokuto-san! I’m going to be drawing a cat’s eye I think...” 

“Mhmm! That will be totally cool Yacchan! Also, call me Bokuto... or Bo! We’re friends now, aren’t we?” The puppy-dog eyes Yachi receives at this statement melt any arguments she has thought up to combat dropping the honourifics. If it’s what Bokuto-san... Bokuto wants, I guess.

“Alright then Bokuto... let me know when you’re done!”

And with that the two descend into a companionable silence, Yachi removing her headphones to quietly play the music out-loud. The silence is only broken when Yachi asks Bokuto to describe Akaashi for her.

Bokuto’s good mood continues all the way home, the man going into the flat’s shared kitchen to stick onto the fridge a doodle of a short, stocky, grey and white owl with yellow eyes, and a taller, thinner, nearly black owl with blur eyes, both sitting on a branch, looking at one another. If the others in the flat notice their fellow friend’s good mood and obvious doodle, they don’t comment.


	7. When will you learn... THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY Kuroo gets a bit of intel on Yachi’s tragicbackstory™️.
> 
> Was going to make this chapter WAAAY more angsty, but decided that it was too soon for fallings out and whatnot.
> 
> Not my favourite chapter I’ve written so far, but it’s a work in progress!
> 
> Hope you all like it! Feel free to Kudos or comment, but if that’s not your thing, please just enjoy reading it and I hope to catch you all next week for the next chapter! <3 xoxo

The next week passes by in a blur of deadlines, studying and texting - most of which is with Bokuto, after the senior managed to wrangle her number out of her during their meeting.

The two spend many lectures sending messages and snapchats back and forth, Yachi discovering Bokuto’s love for filters. She finds that the elder student seems more comfortable when communicating over snapchat, as he is able to read the mood of the messages easier when he can see his partner’s face.

More than happy to comply - since her friend Hinata similarly is a big fan of snapchat - the two begin a week-long streak.

Her newest friend - as dubbed by Bokuto himself - regularly sends her snapchats of himself, Oikawa and Kuroo messing about, after learning that she was familiar with his flatmates - though she had guessed that the other was friends with them when he mentioned Kuroo during their first meeting, earlier that week. 

So really, it should have come as no surprise when one day, about a week later, she gets a message from a random number.

Unknown: Sup, chibi-chan?

Yachi is in the middle of a lecture when she gets the message, currently in the process of sending Bokuto a sly snapchat of the graphic design that she’s working on.

As the message snaps down from the top of the screen with an audible ping, she looks about nervously, only to find the eyes of multiple students already trained on her, her phone disrupting the quiet that had settled across the room.

Who could have gotten my number?! She panics, frantically searching her mind for the names of her different classmates, assuming one of them is playing a prank on her. As such, she is hesitant to reply. Having been the victim of nameless bullying before, she doesn’t wish to put herself in that position again, but as her eyes are scanning the room for her possible texter, she pings again. 

Looking down, by this point positively fearful - did Suzumeda give out my number to one of her friends as some sick joke? - she reads the next message that has arrived.

Unknown: I can see that you have read this, chibi. Not gonna reply to me?

It’s too much. Flashes of middle school memories burst before her eyes like splatterings of paint on a pale, white canvas. Fear paralyses her as she watches her past play out before her. 

She remembers when she got her first phone in middle school. A small, pink, flippy thing with a charm dangling from it that ended in a sparkly heart. 

She was delighted. Her mother never took much interest in her, too focused on her job usually... so to get something like a phone from her as a gift? It was the best thing to happen to Yachi all year!

The next day she skipped to school with a spring in her step, meeting up with her two friends Natsu and Momo. Joyfully, she pulled the phone from her pocket, to the ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s of her mates, the three continuing into school as they exchanged numbers and sent a couple of confirmation texts - completely giddy when they went through, confirming that the phone did indeed work.

Beaming with happiness, Yachi found her way into class and everything was good in the world... until third period where she used to sit next to a particularly awful girl. 

The girl saw her fiddling with her phone and tilted her head curiously, bumping Yachi’s shoulder a little harder than necessary.

“Oi, shorty. You get a new phone or somethin’?”

“O-oh, yes! It was a gift from my mother!” 

“Was it now? Can I see it? It looks pretty cool.”

“Y-yes... sure!” Yachi said, hesitantly handing over the phone, not wanting to, but thinking ‘what harm could she do?’

After a minute or so and a couple of taps, the phone was handed back to its rightful owner with a shrug of indifference.

“It’s nice I guess.”

“Thanks Akame!” Yachi smiled, happy to be getting along with the abrasive girl for once. 

However, half an hour later it was lunch time... and Yachi’s phone blew up. 

Messages poured into her phone, the girl frantically trying to read them all, confused as to who could be messaging her, - considering her two friends were sat beside her with their phones tucked away.

As she began to open the messages, though... she understood.

“You’re ugly!”

“You should just leave this school.”

“Who are those people sat next to you? I thought you didn’t have any friends!”

“Loser.”

And on, and on, and on they went.

Turns out Akame had sent herself a message when on Yachi’s phone and then spread the number around the school... it went on like that for the better part of a month, before Yachi’s mother withdrew her from that hell hole.

Her two friends never bothered to message her once she left either, leaving Yachi utterly alone as she started a new school, far away from Tokyo. 

Standing abruptly from her position, Yachi only has the presence of mind to remember to save her work and log out as she stands half-in and half-out of her chair. Shutting everything down, she haphazardly pours everything off of her desk into her backpack and makes a beeline for the exit, legs straining at her fast walking pace, muscles jumping with the need to run, run, run away from the situation.

Too bad the situation is currently being carried in her hand, as she clings to her phone with a death grip. Slight squeaks can be heard coming from it by those that are close enough to hear, metal and plastic grinding together from the tension.

In the back of her mind she hears her lecturer asking her questions and some class mates trying to talk to her - or about her, she doesn’t know at this point. Probably about her. They always talk about her, she’s the freak. The shy kid. The weirdo. Spurred on by her negative thoughts she runs from the room, ignoring the voices calling out to her in concern.

Once free of the classroom and her possible stalker, she flings herself down the corridor, finally allowing her legs to do what they must - run. Like she always does, she thinks bitterly, unable to stop herself from sprinting out of the Arts building, unsure where to go, but running all the same.

She continues on like this for a while, mind running rampant about who they could be and what they could want. 

As her mind is filling with possible scenarios - have I finally pushed Suzumeda too far? Is it that guy in the back of my Art History seminar that always stares at me funnily? Has someone from my old middle school recognised me? - her phone pings again, causing a chain reaction in her body as first her mind freezes up, then her hands, then her legs, until she has stopped dead in the centre of one of the uni courtyards - not that she has any clue where she is right now.

Hand shaking she raises the phone to eye level and clicks open the message, unable to stop herself, like one of those horror movies where you know the girl shouldn’t go into the bedroom, but no matter how much you shout at the screen, she does it anyways.

Not that Yachi watches horror films, have you met her?

Heart pounding and breaths coming faster and faster, she focuses enough to read the next message that has come through - next messages, she notes. Plural.

Unknown: Ohoho! I see how it is.

Unknown: i’ll play your little game chibi.

... game? They think this is a game? Toying with Yachi and teasing her and goading her into a panic attack in the middle of University. Yeah.

Some fun fucking game this is. 

Mind racing, she tries to think above the rising panic that her body wants to give in to so badly. She needs somewhere safe to hide until this has all blown over. A flash of gold shines within her mind.

Her legs are moving before her brain even registers giving the command, turning round and backtracking towards a building she is very familiar with and passes every week when going to her Art History lectures. 

Carrying herself through the doors, she lets her body race up the stairs, feet pounding as she tears around shelf after shelf, bumping into someone as they stand from their seat. Turning the final corner, her eyes search out the person her brain conjured up as a ‘safe’ person. Her steps echo as she slows to a stop, having finally reached her destination. Breathing heavily, she stares across the room as golden eyes meet her honey ones.

Kuroo jumps to attention as he notices her, standing between the bookshelves at the entrance to their hidden alcove, body shaking like a leaf in the wind. 

Dropping his pen he rises to a standing position, eyes scanning behind her for possible threats. When none reveal themselves he races across the floorspace, paying no mind to the library’s rule of no running in the building. He stops before the small thing, eyes raking over her for injuries. When he doesn’t find any, he finally steps forward and takes her tiny frame into his arms, trying his hardest to block out the sights and sounds coming from around them.

Small, slim fingers dig into his back with a death-grip as Yachi finally lets herself go, her gentle sobs filling the air of their little alcove as Kuroo watches on in horror, unable to do anything, but try and comfort her with his presence. 

“Shhh. It’s okay. It’s okay Angel-chan, I’ve got you.”

Resting his head atop hers, Kuroo does another scan of the library. The girl had come in practically sprinting for her life. Running from what? He can only guess. The girl clearly has some demons in her closet, considering her behaviour the past two times the met.

Huh. Have they only met twice before this? Kuroo thinks back, before realising that yes, this is only their third meeting.

It’s strange, he realises. He feels like he knows her so well already... from the things he picked up on during their past encounters, to the snapchats that Bokuto shows him of her smiling and laughing, or her art projects - Bo was real excited to talk about how much he ‘helped’ her when they met the other week - to his thoughts about her. He will be the first to admit that he has thought about the girl FAR more than is probably normal for someone you consider a friend - and a new friend at that. Yet, he can’t help himself. His thoughts always seem to just... drift back to her, like she’s the sun and he’s caught in her orbit...

Wow. If Oikawa could hear his thought right now, the astronomy geek would flip.

Leaning into her, he listens to her ragged breathing as it slows down into a gentle huff, tears coating his neck. How long was she running for? 

With a wet sounding sniff, the small girl pulls away, shooting an embarrassed smile at the tall man towering above her, who has yet to release his hold on her.

“Thanks,” a tiny whisper comes, Kuroo barely hearing it as her face is tilted down towards the ground.

Deciding that now isn’t the time to get stuck on formalities, he grabs her chin in a gentle grip and tilts it upwards so that he can look into her eyes.

“Tell me what’s wrong Angel—” her eyes avert and he pauses, moving his head to be in line with her gaze again. “Talk to me Yachi. Please... do I need to beat someone up?”

That at least elicits a small laugh from the quivering girl in his arms, who finally meets his eyes head on and settles into the warmth and comfort he provides.

Shaking her head she says, “no. Or at least I don’t think so... I’m not sure.” 

“Thank god for that! I mean, don’t get me wrong, I would do it. In a heartbeat! But... that’s really more Bo’s or Iwa’s area of expertise, not mine. Though... I can perform a MEAN prank when the need arises, just say the word.” 

Once again, the girl giggles. Easing the tension that has lined Kuroo’s back since he first saw the terrified look in her eyes. 

Pulling away slightly, he lowers a hand to the small of her back and softly guides her into the circular booth at their table, brushing his work out of the way - it isn’t important right now. 

Yachi takes note of this, but doesn’t stop him. The need for comfort winning out against her desire not to bother anyone with her problems.

To protect her further, Kuroo places himself next to her, hiding her from anyone that might wander by. Fully enclosing her in the dimly lit alcove.

With his arm now slung around her shoulder - holy shit she’s so tiny! - he prods again.

“Come on Angel-chan, work with me.” He all but pleads, praying that Oikawa’s endearing nickname might get her to open up slightly.

Gaze returning to her lap, Yachi bites her lip with indecision. Should she tell him? But it’s pretty stupid... she doesn’t even know who sent the messages. This is just one big over reaction. What if... what if he realises how lame she is and doesn’t want to be friends anymore? What if he decides to jump on the bandwagon and tease her too...? 

Daring to look up at the boy, she knows that it’s not true. Deep concern lines Kuroo’s eyes as he attempts what she thinks is meant to be a comforting smile. She can’t help but snort at the man leaning over her, he face too tight and tense to try and be anything else.

She can trust him.

Pulling in a deep breath, she settles her eyes on a point just past his shoulder, unable to look into his eyes when she confesses, but wanting him to know that she is trying.

“I... have a bad history with cyberbullying.” She admits quietly. Ashamedly. “It got so bad in middle school that I had to change schools and move away from Tokyo... but I decided to come back for University, because Tokyo has one of the best Art courses in the country. I figured it’s been so long now, y’know? Even if I did bump into someone from my past... it would be different. They would have grown up... but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

“I got a message earlier... a couple of messages actually. I might just be overreacting, but they were definitely meant for me. There wasn’t anything incriminating in them! Again, I’m probably just overreacting ‘cause I’ve had bad experiences in the past... but all of my high school friends know not to give my number out to strangers and I just don’t know who it could be otherwise!” Coming to a stop, Yachi breaks her intense stare-off with the bookshelf, finally allowing her eyes to fall, unable to look at Kuroo for fear of what he may think of her.

Little does she know just how distressed her confession has made the older boy... since, after all, he was the one who sent those texts. 

“Yachi...” he begins, unable to to even start apologising for the meltdown he has caused, due to his own ignorance and teasing nature. He sent the messages as a joke, but of course he knew that there was a chance she would misunderstand, not having his number and all. He thought it would be a funny, little prank - and an easy way to get her number to start a regular conversation with her, jealous that Bokuto now got all her attention - it never crossed his mind that she could have that kind of past... even though he had seen the signs in their earlier meetings.

Self-doubt. Anxiety. Beyond-typical shyness. Reluctance to ask for what she wants. Avoidance of confrontation.

All the signs were there, but he ignored them in favour of pulling a prank. A very bad prank.

His brain suddenly flashes with the Tic Toc video of a little boy screaming “when will you learn... THAT YOUR ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES?!” And can’t help but think the little boy is right. 

Damn. Gettin’ schooled by a meme, Kuroo. Good job. 

Looking down, he notes that Yachi has not responded to his saying her name and sighs, imagining all of the negative thoughts currently running through her head. 

“Angel... Angel you’re okay. You’re safe. Nobody is going to hurt you or bully you again, as long as I have any say in the matter,” deep breaths, Tetsurou. You can do this. 

“I’m the one who sent those messages, Chibi-chan. I got your number from Bokuto.”

The desire to squeeze his eyes shut and turn away is strong, but he finds himself caught in the teary-eyed gaze of an angel. He couldn’t look away if he tried.

“You sent them Kuroo-san?”

Wincing at the honorific, he nods, head falling in shame.

“I wanted to talk to you and I found out that Bo had your number so I asked for it... it was meant to be a joke. I never thought about how it could have been perceived... I was just teasing.” If possible, Kuroo’s head dips even lower, close to knocking into Yachi’s own.

Staring up at him, Yachi can see the genuine regret and empathy on his face and knows he is telling her the truth. He never wanted this kind of reaction from her.

Relief surges through her veins and she throws her head back with a slightly hysterical giggle. Thanks goodness. There’s no bullies, Suzumeda isn’t torturing her... it’s just her dumb, new companion.

This is what you get for hiding things from people, she thinks, smiling to herself with deprecation.

Looking into the other’s eyes - which are now wide, honing in on her with shock, due to her surprising reaction to his admittance - she ruffles his hair lightly. “It’s okay, Kuroo. I’m glad it’s you that messaged me and not someone else. Though, next time? Maybe tell someone your name first, before teasing them.”

Huffing out a breath strong enough to blow Yachi’s hair back from her face, Kuroo surges forwards and takes the girl into his arms once again, only this time he’s the one with tears in his eyes.

Despite what other’s think, he truly is a good guy and only wants what is best for his friends - which now include her - and the idea of upsetting them sits heavily in his stomach.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, head burrowing into a sweet smelling neck - is that raspberry?

Fingers card through his hair as Yachi hums to herself, unable to be angry at the repentant boy in her arms. The whole situation reminds her of how she similarly held Bokuto in her arms and comforted him last week. Maybe it’s a volleyball thing? Big, manly men hiding their emotions, until they all burst forth in one big wave... 

Her brain flits to memories of Oikawa sprawled across the same table she now sits at, whining about Iwa-chan being mean to him and how he needs attention... maybe it’s just a Kuroo and Bokuto thing.

With a final stroke, Yachi pulls back and smiles up at Kuroo, who tries to surreptitiously blink away the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. How cute! Able to see the anguish Kuroo feels over his actions, it is easy enough for Yachi to forgive him, patting his head once more, jovially, before leaning towards him.

Kuroo feels something soft and slightly wet against his cheek. Tilting his head down in confusion, he watches as Yachi pulls away, a slight blush on her face.

She just kissed his cheek.

YACHI just kissed his cheek.

As red begins to blossom across his face, Kuroo attempting and failing to string together a cohesive sentence, Yachi can only smile and think that it’s nice to not be the blushing, blubbering idiot for a change.


	8. Bro, We Are Sherlock Holmesing This Bitch!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... I wrote this.
> 
> Have some Bromance with Tanaka and Noya I guess.
> 
> Honestly, I don’t even know what this chapter is. It’s just some self-indulgent banter with the best bros around.
> 
> I hope I did my children justice!
> 
> Also I love Yachi so so much! I put my girl through too much stress! But it’s worth it!
> 
> Feel free to comment or kudos my babes, Love you all! <3

The next time Yachi finds herself in the library, she is thankful that she’s the only one there.

Despite her gratitude towards Kuroo for helping her and explaining the situation, she can’t help but feel slightly awkward around the taller man. Especially after her previous episode.

God, even thinking about it now still makes her embarrassed. She groans, burying her head in her arms, which are folded across the table. Why couldn’t I have just messaged back like ‘hey, who is this?’ That would have made things so much easier, but noooo! Had to do it the hard way, Hitoka.

Sighing again, she’s thankful that at least it isn’t all bad. She and Kuroo have started a causal messaging string, which is nice, but even she can tell that he is reluctant to message her, giving her short and simple answers as opposed to the teasing and banter she expected.

Well, it can’t be helped, she thinks. At least now Bokuto also knows not to give her number out to anyone without asking for her permission first. 

The poor boy had been distraught when Yachi snapchatted him, explaining what had happened and a condensed version of what occurred during middle school. He took her out for coffee the next day to apologise and honestly, who could possibly stay mad at a guy as genuine as Bokuto Koutarou? He was practically in tears as he leant across the small table dividing them, tilting it to the point where Yachi had to catch her coffee so that it didn’t slide off the edge.

Overall, it’s been an extremely long and tiring past couple of days Yachi reflects, sighing in contentment as she settles down to relax and start her work. At least now she is alone and can get some work done - and catch up on the work she missed from the lesson she ran out of. Boy had that been an awkward one to explain.

Pulling out her laptop and sketchbook, Yachi begins to work in earnest, liking to be on top of her schoolwork - a habit she developed from having to tutor her friends with their work, meaning she needed to have understood and completed all the work beforehand, so she could better teach it.

Sighing again - she’s been doing that a lot recently - thinking about her two troublemakers, she plops in her earphones and gets to work.

It’s about an hour later when Yachi is disturbed from her project by the sound of loud voices, carrying over the shelves to her left. Removing one of her earphones she listens in to see what is going on - someone might have gotten lost, she reasons. It is a very complex layout.

Zoning in to the conversation - or rather, shouting match - being held around the corner, she can hear two boys arguing about which way to go.

Ahhh, I was right. 

“Hey, Asshole! He said to take a LEFT after the diamond of computers!”

“Nooo, he said a RIGHT. Bro are you getting old? Cos your ears ain’t workin’ like they used to!”

“Excuse you?! I think you will find that YOUR ears don’t work anymore because he OBVIOUSLY said LEFT!”

“I’m surrounded by idiots—” the Lion King reference makes Yachi snort from inside her tiny little alcove, “we’ve been looking round there for over 30 minutes now, Ryuu! He didn’t say LEFT!” 

“Well then were do we go?! There’s like eight different ways to go from here! This is why I hate books, they are the devil’s work! Created to confused and befuddle humanity!”

The dramatic declaration is said with such conviction - wow this boy REALLY hates books - that Yachi finds herself giggling away at the strangers. The two are practically a comedy duo. 

“DUDE! YOURE A GENIUS!”

“Of course I am, bro! Why am I a genius this time, though...?”

“The devil! He said to go past the Bibles ‘n’ shit! Okay... so which of these shelves has Bibles on them...”

“Oh shit yeah! Good job Yuu! Bro, we are Sherlock Holmesing this bitch!” 

After that, silence descends once again over the library, Yachi smiling with a shrug as she replaces her earphone and gets back to work.

It is short-lived, however, as about 10 minutes later a blond and brown, spiked head suddenly appears between herself and her laptop screen, making her screech in shock and leap backwards, banging her head on the wooden wall behind her.

Looking up from her sprawling, semi-foetal position, clutching the back of her head in pain, she gets a good look at her assailant. 

He’s short, she thinks. Not much taller than her if she were to guess. The hair is his most obvious trait, being what caught her attention and startled her before. It’s a deep, cool-toned brown, swept up away from his scalp to stick up in short, fashionable spikes. A small patch at the front is dyed blond, half of it sticking up with the rest of his hair, while the other bit flops down into the centre of his forehead. Wearing ripped, black, skinny jeans, a dark grey, tight t-shirt, and an unbuttoned, light blue shirt over the top... he looks pretty cool, actually.

“Oh shit! I found her! RYUUUUUU COME SEE, I FOUND HER!”

“OH FUCK, NO WAY! MARCO!”

“POLO!”

“MARCO!”

These exchanges continue for a solid minute, before a taller, bald man appears at the end of the nearest bookshelf, grumbling about how “I was sure I was gonna find her first, damnit!”

Pulling up to the side of the table he stops to finally look at her, raking across her cowering form with leering eyes and a shark-like smile. Yachi can see as he crosses his arms over his chest that the boy is muscled - not as much as Bokuto, but enough for her to take note of it. Wearing dark blue jeans and a worn AC/DC muscle shirt, he is the picture of intimidating. As her eyes fall she notices black staining across his ribs through the deep-cut arm holes of his shirt. 

He has a tattoo!

Oh god oh god oh god! He’s going to eat me alive! Stay calm, Hitoka! There’s got to be a perfectly rational explanation to this. Don’t do what you did with Kuroo, just stay cool and find out what they want.

“Erm Hello... I’m Yachi Hitoka. Can I help you?” 

A sharp inhale is heard, before the bald-headed man drops to his knees with a wail.

“Yachi! That’s your name! It’s so beautiful!” Tears blubbering at the corners of his eyes as he says so, the man bows his head, “please Yachi-san... do me the honour of going out with me!” With his final words he looks up again, piercing her with a fierce gaze, waiting for her answer.

He’s serious! Yachi tries to think of where she has seen the boy - is he in one of my classes? Do we live in the same building? - before giving up. I’ve never seen him before in my life! Why is he confessing to me?! 

“I’m sorry sir... but I don’t believe we have met before... I think you have the wrong person.”

“The wrong person?!” Eyes stare deep into her soul. Unable to move from her position, Yachi can only watch and listen as the man continues, “I could never forget your face! From the moment I saw it... it was true love! Smiling through the phone at Bokuto,” - damnit Bo! - “I though ‘holy shit, I must have gone to heaven ‘cause I’m looking at an angel!’ and so I searched for you, with my valiant sidekick Mr. Watson—”

“—Excuse you, I found her first, making ME Sherlock and YOU the valiant sidekick!”

“But this is my conquest! Making me the main character in this story dude! This is my sappy rom-com moment!”

“Bro! Why can’t we both be main characters?”

“Because I’m on a quest for true love! The ultimate protagonist trope! - plus you’re gay, making you the token minority character!”

“But that’s not fair!”

“I know dude! It sucks! Film makers need to get their shit together and realise that the LGBT community aren’t just there as cannon fodder for the serial killers to murder first! It’s shit! BUT that’s just how the industry works my gay friend. Now if you will excuse me, I have a woman to woo and a VERY HETEROSEXUAL rom-com to star in!”

“Shit dude... you right. I can never be the main character if I’m gay... there go my dreams of acting. Straight down the drain— or should I say GAY down the drain, AM I RIGHT?!” 

“EYYY!”

Some high-fiving and hip-checking ensues, Yachi watching on with both fascination and fear - I mean, they aren’t wrong, the LGBT community really aren’t getting the parts they deserve in major films and are always one of the first to die, if it’s that kind of films... who knew that two scary people like the men in front of her would know so much about the misrepresentation of LGBT characters in media and film... 

“...I’m sorry... but who are you two, exactly?”

Turning away from their ongoing debate about the struggles of lesbians in TV shows, the both go wide eyed, the bald one even going to far as to slap a hand over his heart as if he’s been wounded.

“You mean—”

“—You don’t know who we are?!”

Oh no! I should know them from somewhere! Have I been introduced to them before?! They mentioned Bokuto earlier, but he hasn’t introduced me to anyone...

“I dont, I’m sorry! I truly can’t remember meeting you before now? How rude of me!” Bending forwards what little she can from her position within the booth, Yachi attempts to bow in apology. 

“Oh! Nah, we havent met before, but Bokuto and Kuroo have mentioned us, right?” The shorter one asks, standing with his hand on his hips, lips quirked into a cocky grin.

“Erm... no?” With a puff of air, his chest deflates, mouth falling open in both shock and annoyance.

“Those bastards! Not even bothering to mention their BEST FRIENDS to their new pal! Are we being replaced, Ryuu? Are we not good enough?!” Lamenting, the shorter boy leans into his bald friend, the other having to think fast in order not to drop him on the floor. With the smoothness in which the dramatic dip is performed, Yachi gets the inkling that this is a regular occurrence between the two.

With the same dramatic flair as his friend, the bald boy continues on, “no! It’s going to be alright Yuu! Don’t die on me now! I need my wingman... there’s so many girls I haven’t wooed yet!” Bending over his friend’s chest, the taller begins to fake sob.

Yachi can see why these two buffoons are friendly with Bokuto now.

Also that the bald man’s confession was just one of many he must have made in his life. She isn’t all that surprised that the confession didn’t mean anything - she’s nothing special after all.

Finally feeling confident that the two hooligans aren’t here to make her join a gang or attack her, Yachi slowly sits up and makes herself presentable, before interrupting the two’s continued tomfoolery.

“I’m sorry that I’m not aware of either of you, when you are both so clearly aware of who I am, so if I might ask... what are your names?” She offers a shy smile to the two - a friend of Bokuto’s is a friend of hers... she guesses.

Coughing into their hands with fake grandeur, the two straighten up with bravado, the smaller one stepping forwards to introduce himself first.

“The name’s Nishinoya Yuu, call me Noya. Libero of the University’s Mens Volleyball team and best friend to this jerk,” he says, motioning to his companion with a thumb.

Taking that as his cue, the other steps up, Yachi finally being able to put a name to his face, instead of just referring to him as ‘The Bald One’ in her head.

“Tanaka Ryuunosuke, you can call me Ryuu... of senpai if you’d prefer,” he offers with what Yachi can only describe as a ‘sleazy’ wink, “wing spiker of the University Volleyball team.”

“Ummm hello Noya-san and Tanaka-san,” she says, watching as Tanaka’s chest folds in on itself slightly at her insistence on calling him by his family name. “It’s nice to meet you. If I might ask... how exactly do you two know me?”

“Oh! You don’t know?” Noya begins, “well I suppose if you aren’t aware of who we are you wouldn’t know... we live with Bo and Kuroo! Apartment buddies, flatmates, house pals!” He explains, as if ‘flatmates’ wasn’t enough to clue Yachi in. “We noticed that Bokuto has been EXTRA cheerful lately and always on his phone... so we did some snooping—”

“TOTALLY non-invasive snooping”

“—Totally! So we had a look and saw that he was snapchatting someone, so we... may have... accidentally... sent you a few snaps pretending to be Bokuto...” 

At least they have the decency to look guilty, Yachi thinks, too exhausted after her incident with Kuroo to be stressed about Bokuto somehow managing to let more strangers into her life.

“We just wanted to know your name so we could tease him! But your snap handle doesn’t include your name... and despite us trying to bait you into saying it, you didn’t... BUT you DID mention the library! And we remembered Kuroo giving Bo directions here the other day—”

“SORT OF remembered the directions...”

“—Sort of remembered Kuroo giving Bo directions... so we just followed them to you! Or, tried to at least.” He finishes with a shaky, half-embarrassed laugh, looking at Ryuu who smiles sheepishly in her direction.

“I don’t suppose you heard us... did you?”

For a second Yachi is unsure what they mean, before she realises that they are embarrassed by the LOUD conversation they had earlier between the bookshelves as they debated directions and accepted being lost.

Snorting from behind her hand at the memory, Yachi grins at the two jokers before her. “Oh, I have no idea what you guys are talking about... are you on about the conversation where you debated if it was left or right? Or maybe the fact that Tanaka-san thinks that books are ‘the devil’s work’?” She finishes, cracking up at the memory.

The boys smile watching her laugh and share a look before sitting down on the opposite side of the booth. This girl is going to be fun, they think, waggling their eyebrows in silent communication. 

“So! Yacchan!” Tanaka declares, eyes sparkling, “what are your intentions with our dear friend, Bokuto?” 

Shaken out of her memories, Yachi processes the odd question, shrugging her shoulders without understanding their prodding for info, “He’s my friend. I have no intentions? I just like talking to hi—”

“Does this mean that you’re single?!” 

Face flushing now in understanding, Yachi babbles, “well o-of course I a-am! I’m n-not going out with B-Bokuto-san if that’s what y-you’re asking!” 

The two boys grin at the pretty pink her cheeks turn with embarrassment, before Noya takes the lead once more.

“I think what my friend was asking was if you were free to go on a date with him.” He finishes the bold statement with another eyebrow waggle, unaware of Yachi’s own implosion.

A DATE?! ME?! But he’s a WOMANISER! He SAID earlier that he had too many women left to woo! I’m not going to be some kind of conquest! But... I already admitted to being single... how do I get him to leave me alone now?

“I HAVE A CRUSH ON SOMEONE ELSE IM SORRY!”

What...? 

YACHI WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?! Berating herself in her mind she slowly sinks, resting her - now bright red - face onto the table top.

“Ohoho! Yachi has a crush, does she now?”

“Who is he! I’ll knock him out!”

Whipping up at that, Yachi shouts out a “NO!” Before she even realises she’s done it. What is she doing?! She doesn’t even have a crush to protect from them! 

Twin predatory grins stare back at her as she tries to become one with the booth behind her. “Soooo? Who is he? He better be good enough for our little Yacchan.” 

‘Ours’? She thinks. I’m theirs’ now? What have I gotten myself into. Think quick, Hitoka! You need to get them off your back!

“He doesn’t go here!” She all but squeaks out. “He’s... a friend from highschool. Great guy. The best. Mhmm!” She manages to stop her rambling, praying that the two will believe her and leave it at that. 

“Hmmm,” Noya hums, leaning across the table to stare into her eyes, Yachi returning the look with a wide one of her own, not used to having boys so close to her. “Yep! She telling the truth, sorry Ryuu! She didn’t even blink when I got all up in her grill! Girl is tough as nails,” he states, throwing her a lopsided grin that she realises is the first genuine one she has received from him all night. It’s cute, she thinks. It suits him perfectly. 

Howling in fake disappointment, Tanaka melts onto the table, with an exasperated shout of, “when will I find my true love?!”

Head buried in his arms, Yachi takes pity, finding the older boy to be funny and charming in his own way. With a gentle pat to the head, she tells him softly, “it’s okay Ryuu, you will find someone who appreciates you for the great person you are someday soon! I’m sure of it!”

Weepy eyes meet her own with hope, “you think so?”

“I know so!”

With a sniffle and a huff, the boy straightens out, adopting a cocky smile, replying, “you’re right, Yachi! I’m great! Someone will see that soon!”

“Damn right they will, Bro! You know if I was single I’d date you!”

“Really Bro?”

“Really really!”

Yachi giggles, watching the two go off on their own little tangent as she has witnessed them do multiple times over the past hour. Settling down, she smiles and continues to do her work.

Maybe making some new friends isn’t a bad thing, after all.


	9. Tanaka Saeko, At Your Service!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter to date!! It’s a 5000 worder y’all! 
> 
> SUPER happy with this chapter and how it has turned out, I hope you all enjoy it too - including my take on a couple new characters, as the title suggests! 
> 
> My salty boi has been hinted at a couple of times and I’m so glad that I’ve found a way to write him into a couple of chapters. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter as it was an absolute PLEASURE to write for you all. 
> 
> Also... I have a feeling this is going to be a little bit longer than the 30,000 words I originally predicted - it’s pulled me in and I just can’t stop! The writing fever has taken hold!
> 
> As always, feel free to kudos or comment, but if thats not your thing it’s chill! I appreciate any feedback I get, but I get that some of you don’t like to! 
> 
> No hate, all love, my babes! <3

Before Yachi knows it, the month has passed over into October. She and her small group of pals from home have had an impromptu skype party for their saltiest of friend’s birthday, but outside of that and making sure to send his card and gift in the post, she’d has a pretty easy past week.

It was all lead up to this, she thinks, staring up at the noisy sports stadium before her. Streams of people are pouring through the doors - who knew their volleyball team was so popular? - and lights are flashing from within.

Of course she had an easy week. The calm before the storm, she thinks. Stupid Hitoka for thinking this would just be another day in her quiet, simple week. Kuroo and his friends are going to be here - of course it’s going to be a riot.

Both awed and a little fearful that her small frame will get washed away in the tides of people, she trepidatiously makes her way indoors. 

Everything is crisp white walls and deep wooden floors. Much cleaner than she expects for somewhere that’s constantly filled with sweaty men. Unsure of where to go, she follows the crowds up a flight of stairs to the left and continues round until she gets to an open doorway. Stepping out, she is assaulted by bright, pale lights and noise - so much noise! Squinting her eyes to ease the pain, she finds herself gasping as the arena comes into view. 

A large oval of seating surrounds the court below, which is made of the same dark wood as the floors outside. People of all different shapes, sizes and ages are beginning to fill the sitting areas, families and children clearly there to support their favourite teams. Looking about, Yachi decides to be brave and marches down to the front rows, knowing that if she were to sit anywhere else, she would never be able to see the game. She can just imagine the disappointment in Bokuto’s voice when he finds out that she didn’t see his “totally amazing spike!” 

Hopping down the final step, she leans on the rail before her, looking down to see two teams of people practicing on either side of the net... so this is volleyball! She finds a smile taking over her face as she begins to scan the bodies below her, searching for her new friends... a particularly tall blonde on the left side of the court catches her eye. Is that...

“Yachi?! Is that you?” The question breaking her from her musings. Turning to the right she gasps in shock.

“Akiteru?! Hi! What are you doing here?”

Standing before her is Tsukishima Akiteru, older brother of one of her best friends, Tsukishima Kei. The man is smiling down at her and waving her over to where he stands at the front, next to a short-haired, blonde woman, who is grinning at her like a predator - scary!

Slowly making her way over, she scratches the back of her neck in shyness. “Hi there! I’m Ya- oof!” She exclaims, having been pulled into an over-friendly hug by the tall, blonde man. 

“What are you doing here, squirt! Did you come to cheer on Kei? I could have sworn he didn’t tell anyone about the match... I mean, I only knew because Saeko here told me!”

Peering around the other, she smiles at the woman, used to the former’s antics, after being friends with Tsukishima for over 3 years. Laughing slightly, she ignores the elder brother’s questions and finishes her introduction to the woman.

“I’m Yachi Hitoka, former student at Karasuno and friend of Tsukishima Kei. It’s nice to meet you Saeko-san!” She tops it off with an awkward bow, finding the act difficult to perform whilst held in the arms of someone a good 20cm taller than her.

The woman’s smile grows as she sizes up the tiny child before her. “Heya kiddo! Tanaka Saeko, at your service! My brother Ryuu is down there playing against your friend, so don’t get mad when I’m cheering for the other team,” she punctuates with a wink.

Looking now, Yachi can see the resemblance between her and the delinquent-looking boy she met last week.

“Oh! You’re Tanaka-san’s sister! It’s nice to meet you! I actually was here to cheer on his team... don’t look at me like that Akiteru! I didn’t even know Tsukki was playing!” She says, laughing at the affronted look the Tsukishima gives her. 

Still laughing, she feels her body being pulled out of his grasp by the sassy woman beside her, who wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls them close, grinning slyly at the brother.

“Ohoho! Look at this! The kid is here to cheer on MY brother, not yours! Heck yeah! Your name is Hitoka, you say? Imma call ‘Toka-chan.” She nods determinedly, happy with her decision, “and you can call me Saeko!” 

“P-pleased to meet you, Saeko!” She stumbles, still within the tight grip of the woman. “Though... if I can ask, how come you two are so far from home?”

“Oh!” Akiteru says, “Yachi... Saeko is my girlfriend that I’ve told you about in the past. She moved to Tokyo when Ryuu did, so that they could split an apartment in his first year to save money. When Ryuu moved out to live with his friends in second year... well it seemed silly not to take up the space instead!” He smiles happily at the woman over Yachi’s head, before continuing, “so when Ryuu showed up last week and mentioned that he would be playing a practice match against Kei’s university... well, you know I can’t stop myself from embarrassing him every once in a while!”

Laughter bubbles out of Hitoka as she remembers studying at the Tsukishima household during her high school years. Akiteru was always wandering in to chat with Kei’s friends and tell them embarrassing stories about their salty companion.

Wiping her eyes as the memories die down, she grins, glad that she could find someone she is so comfortable with in such a large crowd.

“Your stories truly were great back then! Plenty of blackmail material,” she stops, bursting into a fit of giggles again as she remembers the 3D dinosaur glasses they found shoved under Tsukki’s bed. “But now I’m torn! Who do I support? I guess I could just support both... but Kei is my childhood friend...”

Lost in her musings, a tentative voice comes from the other side of Saeko, “you know... it’s alright to support both sides... I am.”

Looking up through her blonde locks, Yachi sees a member of the Yakuza. He’s tall, probably close to Kuroo’s height, with long, dark hair that is pulled into a half-bun. Sporting a leather jacket and black jeans, he’s the picture of intimidating.

With an “eep!” Yachi flies into the arms of Akiteru, stumbling her way through an apology - an apology for what, she does not know, only knowing that she must make herself as small and unthreatening as possible - not noticing the giant making similar motions, looking close to tears.

Saeko and Akiteru watch the tear-fest go on for a good 10 seconds, before placing matching slaps to the backs of both heads.

“For goodness sake stop your blubbering!” Saeko snaps goodnaturedly. “Yachi, this is Asahi, he’s practically the BFG. He isn’t part of a gang, nor does he ride a motorbike. He’s a perfectly good student, just here to support his little bird of a boyfriend.” She grins, pointing her thumb behind her to where said gentle giant is fussing nervously with his fingers, unable to make eye contact with the tiny thing.

“I-I-I’m really sorry for startling you, Yachi-san. I shouldn’t have interrupted your conversation with Saeko and Tsukishima-san... you just seemed to be having a hard time choosing between which friends to support - and I’m in the same position! Or I guess maybe not, I don’t want to presume to know you or anything, maybe what you’re going through is comple—” the giant boy is once again cut off from his nervous rambling, but this time by a spikey-haired boy that is almost as buff as Bokuto.

“Relax Asahi-san, she’s more afraid of you than you are of her.” He smirks, turning to the trembling blonde, eyes raking over her in appraisal with the air of someone who knows something that she doesn’t. “Hello Yachi, it’s nice to finally meet you, I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Iwaizumi Hajime, Tooru’s boyfriend.” He finishes, pushing his hand forward for her to shake.

Grip tentative, the girl does so. Looking between the shorter, more confident man and the taller one, shaking like a chihuahua. “Hello... it is nice to meet you too... Oikawa-san never shuts up about you if I am being honest,” she replies, scratching the back of her neck in embarrassment at her overreaction. Turning to the larger man she bows, “I apologise for judging you by your appearance Asahi-san, it was not fair of me and I would love to hear what you have to say on the matter as we do seem to be in similar situations.” 

As Yachi smiles brightly at the two men, Akiteru holds back his laughter, watching as the two’s eyes widen and postures relax. He knows from experience the power that Yachi Hitoka’s smile holds. She did manage to win over his snarky brother, after all.

Taking a seat between the taller boy named Asahi and Akiteru, she learns that the giant is actually the boyfriend of one Nishonoya Yuu. It’s a shock at first, but listening to the older boy share fond memories of the small, energetic student she met along with Ryuu the other week, she can’t help but understand. Asahi very clearly tames the boundless energy of the tiny libero, whilst being encouraged and pushed beyond his comfort zone by the other. They work.

Smiling gently at the older she finds her eyes drifting downwards to observe the court below. Her eyes first catch on the tall, blond head of her childhood friend, lips curling upwards without permission as she watches Tsukishima warming up, partaking in small conversations with his teammates. One particular teammate with a shorter, stockier build catches her attention, seeming to have a good camaraderie with her school pal. 

Leaning into Akiteru’s space - something she has grown infinitely comfortable with over the past 3 years, the older always being a safe person she could confide in - she quietly asks who the man is. 

“Oh! Thats the team captain, Sawamura Daichi. He also used to be Kei’s volleyball captain during his high school days, that’s probably why he seems so chilled out with him.”

Murmuring in understanding, Yachi moves on, eyes glossing over Noya and Tanaka who are laughing and showing off to the whoops and cheers of Saeko. She passes over Oikawa, pausing at the intensity in his gaze as he tosses the ball up into the air. With a hop and small run, the boy takes flight, seeming to pause mid-jump, as if suspended in time. Yachi feels her heart stop, fingers itching with the sudden urge to draw, as she watches his hand slam into the ball, sending it like a bullet into the far corner of the opposing team’s court. Jumping in shock at the loud BANG that accompanies the model’s serve, Yachi realises just how powerful one Oikawa Tooru truly is - hiding behind a mask of soft looks and fangirls.

Turning behind her, Yachi pulls her backpack around to her front, removing a sketchbook and a couple of pencils. Zipping the bag up she places it below her, under the bench they are seated on. Twisting her hair up, she pins it into a bun with two pencils, holding the third lightly as she flips through her book to find a blank page. Knowing that the game won’t be starting for another 20 minutes or so - thanks to the running commentary of Akiteru and Iwaizumi - she begins to sketch. 

Hand whirring, she draws a couple of different, rough silhouettes of Oikawa, copying his unique angles onto paper, watching as he serves from altering positions on the back line of the court. She feels the eyes of her companions switching between watching her draw and watching their friends and family practice, undeterred in her determination to immortalise her new friend through the power of paper and lead. 

By the time the whistle blows to signify the end of the players warming up, Yachi has a spread of pages detailing the beautiful Oikawa Tooru, hovering mid-air as he delivers his serves - all of which sport beautiful pairs of wings. 

A gruff, “y’know, if he ever finds out about this he’s gonna become even more big-headed than normal,” comes from her right, Iwaizumi leaning against Asahi to watch her drawings come to life. “Also, why the wings?”

Slightly embarrassed at the attention, now that her focus has shifted away from drawing, Yachi smiles lightly and answers.

“Well... I’m a graphic design student and our current project is about humans and animals... so I decided to focus on the way certain aspect of people can resemble animals. Does that make any sense?”

“Nah, that makes sense. But why the wings? He doesn’t exactly resemble a bird to me?”

“Oh! It’s because he floats!” At the confused looks her confession earns her, she continues, “when he jumps up to serve he seems to pause in the air, as if suspended by a pair of wings! Like he’s flying...” she trails off, unsure how to explain the way she sees the boy.

Understanding comes, however, from her unsuspecting ally - the tender-hearted Asahi. “I actually agree with Yachi-san,” he says, turning to her with a bashful smile, “I remember the first time I saw Oikawa serve in high school... he truly does seem to be suspended in the air for a moment, before he strikes.” A thoughtful look overcomes the other as he thinks, “I suppose you may not notice it, Iwaizumi-san, since you and Oikawa have been playing together since childhood.”

Iwaizumi considers this, before nodding. “I agree. Even I can see how special his serves are, but I’ve been there every step of the way as he’s developed and evolved as a volleyballer. It would make sense that I’m less in awe of his plays and more analytical...” he smiles, recalling memories of past volleyball games.

A whistle blows in the background, pulling them all to the present, watching as both teams bow to the crowds at either side of the stadium. 

When her university bows before them, Saeko goes crazy, catching the attention of all the players. Laughing at the older woman’s antics, she hears her name being called from below. Leaning forwards over the rail guard, she smiles at the exaggerated waves being thrown her way by Bokuto. Waving back she calls out a “good luck!” to her new friend, watching as his chest puffs out in pride, similar to that of a bird.

Laugher bubbles out of her chest as she watches the over-enthusiastic man being hip-checked by Oikawa, the team captain. The smile he throws her way is truly dazzling as he calls out “don’t inflate his ego even more, Angel-chan! We’ve got a game to win yet! Can’t be getting distracted,” he stops for a second, face morphing into his signature smirk as he shouts, “plus you should be cheering for the best player on the team, which is me! Not this pathetic excuse for an owl,” he winks, lessening the harshness of his words as he thumps his friend on the back, before dragging him onto the court. 

As he does so he sends a subtle eye towards their middle blocker, trying to gauge Kuroo’s reaction to the exchange.

Golden eyes burn as they glare towards the net infront of them. Breaths deliberately calm and controlled, Oikawa internally cheers, recognising jealousy when he sees it.

Smiling in satisfaction, he gives an encouraging shout towards his team, before turning towards the opposition with a smile that’s positively feral.

A whistle blows.

And the game begins. 

A boy with dyed blonde hair and a dark undercut performs the first serve of the game, sending the ball dangerously close to the line, which is picked up by the man she now knows to be Daichi. Cheers of “nice receive, Captain-san!” Can be heard from her left as Akiteru cheers on his brothers team.

Sat in the middle, Yachi finds herself happily shouting for both teams, in a similar predicament to Asahi, who she discovers was also on Karasuno’s volleyball team with Daichi and Tsukishima, along with Ryuu and Noya. The two find solace in one another as Yachi shouts endearments and calls of positive reinforcement to both teams, whilst Asahi cowers behind his hands during particulars aggressive spikes that are aimed towards his tiny sparrow of a boyfriend, worrying for both teams.

Iwaizumi, she discovers, is a lot more aggressive in his support. Paired with Saeko’s shouts from the left, Yachi finds that their small group of five garners quite a lot of attention - from both the crowd and the court. On more than one occasion the referee has to blow his whistle at them in a demand for silence, as Iwaizumi’s form of encouragement isn’t exactly... child friendly.

From the way that Oikawa had talked about Hajime, Yachi figured that the other was the strong, silent type, making sure that his boyfriend was safe and healthy. Oikawa had informed her, during past conversations, that Iwaizumi was taking a sports medicine degree, having decided to do so after discovering that Oikawa wanted to go pro with volleyball. After hearing about how devoted Oikawa’s boyfriend wass to him - the man taking a sports med degree so that he could follow his love throughout his career and be by his side - Yachi finds herself truly shocked by the obscenities coming from the elder’s mouth.

“Oi Shittykawa! You can do better than that!”

“Stop jumping for no reason shithead! That’s Kuroo’s job!”

“Get under the fucking ball! I know you can run faster than that!”

Truly... shocked doesn’t even describe how Yachi felt when she first tuned in to what Iwaizumi was shouting. However, she can tell that underneath all of the profanities and insults, there is a firm layer of support and understanding, Iwaizumi only calling his boyfriend on such things because he knows the extent of his true capabilities and wants to bring them out of the man that he loves.

But still... it’s shocking.

Numerous times she finds herself locking eyes with Bokuto as he scores set-winning points and performs crosses that shouldn’t have been statistically possible. The guy is a machine. However, whenever he turns to find her in the crowd with glowing eyes and a beaming smile, she can’t help but jump for joy, shouting out encouragements and praise.

She also finds herself watching her childhood friend, wondering why - after 3 years of friendship - she has never even seen any of his volleyball matches, (I mean, she knows why she hasn’t... but why didn’t she ever decide to break the rules for once, damnit).

He is in his element. Eyes watching, narrowing in thought as he tracks every aspect of the game, whilst keeping himself present enough to block and receive, shutting people down with a small, vindictive smile on his face. Yachi knows that she is glowing as she watches her friend blossom on the court below, chest tightening with a mixture of awe and pride for someone she considers family.

In comparison to Bokuto, however, Tsukishima never looks up to make eye-contact or ask for praise. After a while, and some questions towards Akiteru, she realises that Kei has no idea she is there. 

Apparently from the start of high school, Tsukishima has hated his brother attending his matches. There is a taught tension within Akiteru’s shoulders as he reveals this, not expanding when he simply tells her that they had some problems during his first year at Karasuno. From then on, whenever Akiteru has attended his volleyball games, Kei has stubbornly refused to address his sibling until the match is over, claiming that he puts him off of his game - though Yachi can tell it’s more out of embarrassment than any lingering, negative feelings. 

Her eyes track the blond as she watches the game unfold, her four companions constantly leaning over to explain things to her about rules of the match or the mechanics of certain shots. Smiling and nodding along, Yachi feels her chest threatening to burst with joy as she loses herself in the game and the comfort her current surroundings bring.

She finds herself genuinely enjoying the game as it unfolds, cheering and booing along with the crowd... but there is one element in particular that ensnares her attention like no other - and that is a certain, bed-headed, middle blocker. 

Try as she might to focus on her friends and the plays being made on the court, Yachi can’t help but be drawn to Kuroo as she watches, her eyes automatically seeking him out without the permission of her brain. 

He plays like a cat, she thinks. Every movement is slow and deliberate. She discovers that he leaves openings in his playing, enticing his opponents, teasing them into thinking that he is weaker than them - that he has made a mistake. However, when they eventually move to exploit the openings he creates - he shuts them down. Hard. 

Yachi is enthralled. The way he toys with the enemy, he similarly toys with her. Turning to meet her gaze after a particularly intelligent move, tilting his head slyly with a smirk, as if they are sharing some kind of inside joke - which she realises they are, in a sense, when she comments on his cunning moves to her companions and they all just look at her in confusion. 

They don’t realise what he is doing. No one can see the moves he is setting up, she realises, except for her. He’s not playing volleyball, she decides - he’s playing a game of chess. Manipulating the moves of both his team and his enemy. 

Oikawa is his Queen, she deducts, able to move anywhere with speed and agility, controlling and balancing out the strengths and weaknesses of the other pieces, acting as the one in charge of all the plays. Bokuto and Tanaka are his Castles, powerful and straightforward, taking down anything that blocks their path. The blond man with the undercut - Terushima, she is informed - is a Bishop. He is energetic and enthusiastic, willing to make the plays that other’s won’t risk, in order to ensure victory. Noya is Kuroo’s Knight, able to do things that no one else can. Flexible and agile, he flings himself into the farthest corners of the court, covering the largest amount of space, despite having the smallest stature. The other middle-blocker - a red-haired boy called Tendou that seems to have a similar disposition to Kuroo - is the team’s Pawn. He is multi-purpose, being used as a spiker, a blocker, a decoy, a receiver... he is the first line of defense.

Finally there is Kuroo... the King of the board. Analysing and learning as he plays, he adapts and strategises accordingly, pulling the strings from the shadows, hiding behind the fake front that is Oikawa as the team leader. He baits and traps his opponents, manoeuvring them into position with his wit and cunning, before taking them down with the brute force supplied by Tanaka and Bokuto. 

He’s a monster, she decides. A volleyball monster.

Once again her hands itch with the desire to draw, but she doesn’t want to miss any of the game - lest Bokuto turn to her for support, only to find her not paying attention - so she refrains, telling herself that she can draw later (and draw she will). 

By the time the final whistle sounds 5 sets later, Yachi’s voice is hoarse and her palms ache from gripping the railing so hard. Turning to her new friends she grins in exuberance, feeling the adrenaline from the game rushing through her, even though she wasn’t the one playing.

Oikawa’s team ended up winning, though only by a small margin as - she was proud to discover - Tsukishima was able to analyse and read many of Kuroo’s ploys and inform his team of such. 

Holding her hand to her racing heart, Yachi realises that she is truly content for the first time in a while. Surrounded by support, having been introduced to something new and exciting, and having made new friends that she was capable of helping and praising... she feels good. Turning to Akiteru she goes to say as much, but is stopped by a vibrating Saeko who grins at Yachi in earnest.

“You ready to go, little one?” She says, grin growing even wider to Yachi’s confusion.

“Erm, I guess so? Do people normally leave straight away after matches like this? I figured we would be waiting around for a bit...”

“No, no! That’s not what I meant Toka-chan!” Saeko shouts, eyes gleaming as she grabs the younger’s wrist tightly, “I meant are you ready to run downstairs before the crowds hit to go and see Kei?” Her smile is practically devilish as she lets Hitoka in on her secret.

Face lighting up with joy, Yachi replies, “wait! We can do that? I can go down and see him?!” Body also starting to vibrate with the contagious, excited energy of Saeko.

Laughter fills her ears as she is torn from her seat, shouts of “lets go! Lets go! Quickly now, before it gets too crowded!” Spurring her onwards before she can begin to second guess her decision.

Turning her head she makes eye contact with Akiteru as she races up the stairs behind the fellow blonde woman. “Please get my bag for me Akiteru Niisan!” She hollers, praying that her sketchbook and backpack are recovered by the elder.

Tearing down the stairs the two women race through the building, Saeko sometimes brutally shoving aside people that are moving too slow for her liking, Yachi placatingly calling out apologies as she is tugged onwards, feeling bad, but too excited to stop and make sure that the people are okay. 

It has been over two months now since she last saw Tsukishima, the boy having left for university before she did. Of course the two regularly text and keep in contact over social media, but after having been so close to him for the past couple of hours, the need to see and touch her best friend is too strong to ignore. 

As they run, Saeko informs her that there is a community lounge-area for the players to all rest in after the match and catch up. Yachi expresses her concerns about barging in, but she is assured that family and friends of the players are welcome in this area and that it is quite a large space so they will have plenty of privacy should they need it, which is punctuated with a wink thrown over the sassy sister’s shoulder.

After what feels like an eternity of running - thank goodness Yachi is quite fit and works out on occasion - they enter a quiet hallway. Their footsteps echo loudly on the wooden floor as they try to slow their gaits to something more socially acceptable, Saeko finally releasing her smaller companion’s wrist with a smug smile.

With Saeko leading the way, Yachi can do nothing, but follow, in awe of the confidence that radiates from the Tanaka sibling - less aggressive, but no less powerful than that of her brother. Unconsciously, she begins to stroke at her hair, smoothing down the unruly strands that have managed to escape her pencil bun during the mad dash through the stadium. 

With a final glance at the small girl following behind her, Saeko smiles and forcefully pushes open a set of double doors, smirking in satisfaction when they swing open with a dramatic bang, grabbing the attention of the many males in the room, most of which are laughing or smiling at the woman’s actions, being familiar with her unique strain of extrovert. 

Yachi watches as Saeko dominates, demanding all the attention in the room, for which she is grateful - getting the feeling that Saeko may have done so on purpose to draw the men away from Yachi, lest she get frightened and flee.

Fleeing, however, is the last thing on her mind as she makes eye contact with Tsukishima, mouth splitting into an earth-shattering grin as she watches his eyes widen in a comical fashion.

Completely unaware of any other men that are in the room - including the forms of Bokuto and Kuroo who are hovering next to Tsukishima, having been teasing their snappy kouhai with entertainment - she finds herself sprinting across the room at a speed she didn’t even know she was capable of.

With a jubilant shout of “Kei!” She flings herself into the awaiting arms of her best friend, legs wrapping around his waist in a vice-like grip as he encircles her body.

Head tucked into the crook of his neck she giggles with joy, feeling the other leaning his own head on top of hers as he uses one arm to support her legs - she is as light as a feather, after all, and doesn’t require more than one arm to hold up - and the other comes around her back to pull her into his embrace.

He’s cold, she thinks, smiling as she snuggles into her friend. He’s always been cold, for as long as she has known him, running a couple of degrees colder than the rest of them - especially Hinata who constantly radiates warmth, both physically and metaphorically. The familiarity of his cold skin makes her body soften, the tension that has been lining her shoulders for the past month and a half, finally easing. Burrowing into a body that is wholly familiar, Yachi sighs in contentment, feeling a light kiss being pressed to the crown of her head.

Finally, she’s home.


	10. Right In Front Of My Salad!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if any of y’all have been checking the chapter titles as they come out, but they have all been quotes from somewhere within the chapter that I thought were funny or summarised the shenanigans for that piece. A little preview if you will, to what you are getting yourself into whilst reading this absolute shit-show I’ve created!
> 
> There’s not as much drama as some of you will be anticipating. I don’t like making my boys suffer too much if I can help it.
> 
> That being said... next chapter is gonna be a wild ride. Not to give away too much, but we will finally get to meet Akaashi...
> 
> Cue the angst and drama!
> 
> Honestly though, the love and support I’ve recieved for this fic so far is helping me to power through the hard shit happening in my life rn and you guys have become a little haven for me, so thank you - for the comments, the kudos, everything.
> 
> Feel free to tell me what you think of this chapter! Was there not enough drama? Too much? Did I get too fluffy as I’m prone to do when Tsuki and Yachi are involved? Lemme know!
> 
> Love hearing from you all, but if commenting or kudos (kudosing?) isn’t your thing, don't worry! I appreciate you being along for the ride nonetheless! 
> 
> Love n happiness to all that read this chapter! Xoxo <3

Kuroo watches, as a boy he has known to be solely snarky and petulant for the past 3 years, catches and embraces a beautiful, blonde girl with absolutely no hesitance whatsoever.

Not just any girl - Yachi.

His Yachi.

His library pal, study buddy, laugh-like-an-angel, Yachi.

What the fuck is going on...

For a moment he had spotted her, hovering behind Saeko in the doorway, and thought that she was running to jump into his arms.

Which is a stupid thought, he admits... but not as stupid as her RUNNING INTO TSUKISHIMA’S ARMS INSTEAD!

He turns to Bokuto, raising his eyebrows in distress, trying to emulate his general feeling of ‘what the fuck is happening right now’. Koutarou can only shrug back as he watches his tiny, new friend, clinging onto his other beanstalk of a friend like a koala.

Both boys give audible gasps and step backwards in fear as they witness their salty Kouhai pressing the most gentle and tender of kisses to the top of Yachi’s head. Tsukishima has a heart?! In their 3 years of friendship - not that Tsukki would admit to them being friends - the purest emotion they have managed to wrangle from the boy is amusement at their jokes and antics. He has always been the one to vocally express how ‘gross’ sappy displays of love are, as well as abhorring any form of physical contact.

Yet, here he stands, Kuroo watching as - right in front of my salad! - he cuddles someone WILLINGLY and expresses tenderness while he’s at it. 

The boys gasp again, even louder, gripping onto one another for support as they watch the most miraculous thing happen...

Tsukishima smiles.

And not his smarmy, know-it-all, I’m better than you, smile.

A genuine, heartfelt smile. Bending down and turning his face into the golden locks of Yachi’s hair, he smiles. The crowd watches on in awe as he opens his eyes, only to grin even wider, staring at the pencils sticking out of her hair with fondness - a sight he has seen many times over the years when Yachi fell too deep into one of her ‘art moments’.

The snapping of a photo being taken, however, is all it takes to break the spell, Tsukishima’s eyes honing in on the phone being held between the hands of Saeko, who has the decency to at least look a little sheepish as she grins at the two.

“Hey there Kei-kun! I’m glad to see you like the little surprise I brought!” At this her grin turns predatory, Tsukishima’s stance widening and smile downturning into a scowl. “Didn’t realise you two were so close though,” she teases, knowing from her’s and Yachi’s earlier conversations that there is nothing romantic going on between the two. That, however, doesn’t mean she can’t have a little fun - plus she was informed by Iwaizumi about Kuroo’s crush on a certain, angelic blonde. Oh how fun it is to meddle, sometimes! 

If possible, Tsukishima’s scowl deepens even further, his grip on the small girl within his arms tightening as he all but growls at the woman who is practically his sister-in-law. 

“I don’t know what you mean, Neesan,” he sasses, knowing that there is nothing incriminating between himself and Yachi, but that the insinuations would make her uncomfortable, nonetheless. 

“Well, OTOUTO,” she sasses back, “you just seem awfully close. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this smitten before!” She smiles, hooking an arm around her brother’s neck, turning to address him, “what about you, Ryuu? You were on the same volleyball team for two years... have you ever seen Tsukishima-kun this smitten?” 

Matching shark grins turn to the couple, as Ryuu replies “y’know Neesan, I don’t think I have,” Yachi squeaking at the sight of the two, swivelling once more to burrow into the safety of her friends arms. Why would Saeko-san do this to her? She knows that nothing is going on between them - Yachi told her so herself earlier in the night, during a break between sets! So why is she embarrassing her like this? Plus, Ryuu thinks she has a crush on someone from high school! He’s going to get the wrong idea!

Feeling upset and taken advantage of, Yachi tries to slide down and away from her friend’s body, hoping to end the presumptions and attention by distancing herself. She find, however, that she is unable to do so as Tsukishima holds firm, coiling around her body like a serpent, ready to attack. 

Protecting her, she realises. The boy knows her well enough to sense her discomfort. This is furthered by the head placed softly on top of her own, allowing her the illusion of being surrounded by comfort on all sides. Tsukishima has done this to help her she thinks, recognising how his doing so is a weakness to his argument that there is nothing between them - but that he has done so anyways, at his own behest, in order to assure her safety, making sure she doesn’t goad herself into a panic attack like she has been known to do. 

Recognising his kindness for what it is, she allows herself to immerse in it, basking in the pleasure of being comforted by someone she trusts. Tuning out the bickering that is continuing above her, she closes her eyes and relaxes, breathing in the familiar scent of Kei’s deodorant and some left over cologne - the one that’s smell always reminds her of spring. 

Smiling to herself she sighs in content. She doesn’t understand Saeko’s motives when trying to goad herself and Tsukki into an argument, but she finds that she doesn’t care. What is most important is seeing her friend and knowing that he is well.

“Enough, Kei.” She all-but whispers into his neck, knowing that, despite her small tone, he will hear her.

Which he does, pausing mid-sentence in retaliation to something Ryuu has said. Tilting his head down to get a good look at her face, she smiles softly up at him - reassuring him that she is okay. 

“Enough, Kei.” She repeats, lifting herself so that they are face to face, her back turned to the trouble makers. “Tell me everything,” she smiles, knowing that he - like everyone else - can’t say no to that smile.

With a huff and playful glare that says ‘I know what you’re doing Hitoka’, he turns away from his adversaries and walks the two of them over to a soft chair, smiling once again as his friend giggles, due to the feeling of being carried in such a way.

Plopping down onto the chair with a sigh - he really needs a shower and massage after such a gruelling game - he twists the small girl so that she is sitting sideways in his lap, princess style, and tucks her into the nook of his arm. 

“You first,” he nudges with a smirk, knowing it will infuriate her as he likes to talk about himself as little as possible. 

Which it does, Yachi’s cheeks puffing out in a childish expression of petulance - the kind of expression she only makes with those she trusts.

“That won’t work on me and you know it,” he smiles cheekily, “I’m not Kageyama or Yamaguchi, so you can stop trying.”

With a puff of air, she sighs in defeat, unable to help her childish behaviour around one of her closest friends. 

“Fiiiinneee. What do you wanna know?” 

“How’s uni? How’s the apartment bitch? How’s your art project coming along? You made any friends?” At the last one he gets a shove and shout of indignation from the tiny girl, making him laugh, unaware of the crowd that has gathered to stare at the shocking display.

“Since when does Tsukishima care about anyone else’s private life?” Kuroo mumbles to his companions.

“Dunno,” Bokuto replies, “he never asks us about how OUR uni is going... Noya? Ryuu? You went to school with him. Did he ever take an interest in your lives outside of volleyball?”

“Dude. Our siblings are practically married. We are pretty much family and he doesn’t ask me half of that shit.” Ryuu states with an affronted look.

“Yeah, Ryuu’s right. Getting info out of Tsukki is like pulling nails - on a GOOD DAY!” Noya agrees, “He never volunteers questions of his own though... I wonder how they even know eachother...” 

“Ooooh!” Bokuto nods, “HEY GUYS! HOW DO YOU KNOW EACHOTHER?!” His shouts interrupting the private moment between the two.

With a menacing growl, Tsukishima looks up at his prior opponent, getting out between clenched teeth, “we are friends. We used to go to school together.”

“WHAT?!” - “REALLY?!”

Twin shouts come from the two second years.

“But we went to the same school as you!” Ryuu continues. 

“Yeah, and?” Tsukki comments bitingly, wanting to get back to his and Yachi’s conversation, away from his previous teammates’ idiocy.

“Well we never saw her at games!”

“That’s because she didn’t come to any! I didn’t invite her.” He lies, not wanting to divulge that it was actually Yachi’s mother that said she couldn’t go to the games. That’s Yachi’s business, not theirs.

“Booo! What a crappy friend! Why wouldn’t you invite her?!” Noya pipes in.

“Maybe because volleyball isn’t everything to some people?!” Tsukki asks rhetorically. “You can be friends with people for reasons outside of volleyball, you know? Though I get that it’s a hard concept to fathom for brains as tiny as yours’.”

That gets a bold laugh out of Saeko and a harshly whispered “Tsukki!” From Yachi who whacks her hand lightly on his shoulder as punishment, making her blond companion smirk with a sarcastic “ow.”

“Oi!” She says, raising her voice and pointing at her salty friends face, “I will get up and leave.” She states, “don’t make me do it.” 

The arms that were loosely wrapped around her now tighten with possessiveness, though the lazy smirk remains in place. 

“Nah... you love me too much for that.”

With a huff and a playful eyeroll she pushes his face away from where it is resting, close to her own. 

“As if! You’re far too conceited and snarky for me - maybe I like NICE guys!” She says, oblivious to the alternating looks they are getting from their spectators, until a loud gasp makes its way out of Noya’s mouth.

Turning to look at the boy, she sees he has one had covering his mouth in shock while the other is pointing at the two of them, where their limbs are interlocked from their play-fighting.

“It’s him isn’t it! He’s the guy you have a crush on!” He shouts.

Everyone freezes.

Face bright red, like a balloon ready to pop, Yachi can do nothing but gape as her mouth opens and closes, searching for a retort. 

This is why you don’t tell lies Hitoka! She berates herself. Why did you do it, huh? Why couldn’t you have just said you weren’t interested in Tanaka-san! Why make up a stupid lie that gets you into awkward situations like this?!

Thankfully, she is knocked out of her inner turmoil by shaking coming from all around her. Twisting in confusion, she turns to see Tsukishima with his head down, tears streaming down his cheeks silently as he tries his hardest not to laugh at the absurdity of the accusation.

Seeing this, Yachi stops, fully absorbing what Noya just claimed and she too finds herself shaking. The idea of her and KEI... she can’t take it.

Laugher bursts from deep within her belly in peals and peals, ringing out into the room that had been shocked into silence. Tsukishima, once hearing the addictive laughter of his friend, is right behind her, his own giggles springing forth. 

The giggles soon turn to snorts as he imagines himself doing ‘coupley things’ with Hitoka, like feeding each other cake and leaning down to kiss her - god, he’d have to bend such a long way down! He cracks up again, tears falling continuously as he tries to get ahold of himself.

Yachi isn’t fairing much better, having reached the stage where no sound comes out, breathing really hard as she slaps her friends shoulders in hysterics. “IMAGINE!” She manages to get out between puffs. “You’re... so... TALL!” She all but cackles, the two lost in their own world of hilarity as no one else understands just how ridiculous of an accusation Noya just threw out.

Peals slowly reducing, the two come back down to Earth, only to realise that they are the only ones laughing, making them both snort a couple more times, before finally cooling off enough to speak.

“That,” Kei deadpans, though the effect is slightly ruined by the tear-tracks drying on his cheeks, “is quite possibly the dumbest thing I have ever heard in my 19 years of living on this planet.”

Nishinoya gasps, affronted, Tanaka jumping to his best bro’s rescue. “It was not! Yachi said she liked someone from her old school an— OW! What was that for?!” He pauses, turning to glare at his sister who has just whacked him across the back of the head.

“It’s up to Yachi if she decides to reveal who she likes! You can’t force that shit out of a girl.” She states, eyes quickly darting to Kuroo, trying to see how he’s taking the information that was just revealed by her IDIOT brother - information that she GUARANTEES isn’t true. 

Narrowed eyes, pinched mouth, furrowed brow... not well then.

With a sigh - must I do everything myself? - Saeko steps forward and claps loudly, placing the attention of the room onto herself again. 

“Alright lads! Go wash up and get ready - you’re in Tokyo tonight babies! What do you say we go and play some karaoke?” She finishes with that classic shark-like grin, challenging anyone to defy her.

A whoop can he heard from the left and right as Terushima and Bokuto make matching fist-pumps, before racing towards the locker rooms. Grumbles and snickers follow them as players slowly start to trickle out of the room, Tsukishima included as he lifts Hitoka from his lap, placing her on the recently vacated seat.

Within a couple of moments, it is once again just her and Saeko, the younger fiddling with her fingers in embarrassment as she says, “thank you for standing up for me...” not used to people sticking out their necks for her sake. 

“Meh! It’s no problem Toka-chan!” Saeko says with an upbeat voice, before lowering it slightly to continue. “Though, I gotta know... is what my brother said true? You don’t have to tell me a name or anything, but is there a guy from high school?” Her voice trails off as she pictures Kuroo’s tense face. She’s practically adopted all of Ryuu’s friends as her own now - she doesn’t want to see the kid get hurt if Yachi is in love with another guy from her past—

“NO!” Yachi shouts, the sound all but ripping from her throat, shocking both of the girls with its intensity. Face flushing, Yachi starts again in a smaller voice, “no Saeko, I don’t have a crush on someone from high school - I don’t have a crush on anyone! I-I’m too focused on school, a-and my art work, s-so when your b-brother asked me o-out I panicked and l-l-lied,” she breathes out, having started stuttering halfway through her confession in shame and worry that the girl will be angry at her for playing her brother.

What she doesn’t expect is the powerful arm slung over her shoulder and a loud laugh delivered straight to her eardrum. 

“Aaaah!! Of course!” Saeko all but explodes, laugher still pouring from her lips as the situation comes to light, “yeah, my brother can come on pretty strong, can’t he? Nah, you did the right thing sweetie. If he thought that he could convince you to like him then he would have kept trying for a while... he just wants love.” She sighs, thinking of her poor brother and his idealistic idea of love and girlfriends, it’s a shame he hasn’t found someone yet... but he hides his true qualities behind bravado and muscles, scared to let someone in incase they leave... like their mother did. 

Brushing away memories from the past, she focuses once again on the little thing in her arms, grinning conspiringly, “so between you and me... there’s no one AT ALL that you’re interested in?” 

“No, no one! I haven’t really thought about it...”

Perfect. 

If Yachi isn’t attracted to anyone, then they can slowly push her towards Kuroo, show her his best qualities as she has no doubts that - like her idiot brother - Kuroo didn’t make the best first impression on the poor girl... but karaoke is the perfect time to change that! 

“Well then thats fine! Come on, lets go!” Saeko laughs, all but dragging Yachi out of the common room by the back of her shirt, “Akiteru will drive us back to ours - you are in no way dressed appropriately for Karaoke!Imma make you look like hot shit, Toka-chan!” 

Ignoring the girly complaints and murmurs that she is fine, Saeko grins, plan already formulating in her head. Damn, she loves to meddle!


	11. Be Happy Yachi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE CHAPTER!
> 
> So I was busy writing the next chapter and before I knew it I was at almost 3000 words (my average chapter length) without even covering any of the stuff I had planned to!
> 
> Since I promised with my last chapter upload that I would be introducing Akaashi this week - which ended up not happening in this chapter... Ive decided to double upload! 
> 
> This chapter is too important to skip over and as I was writing it I realised how much sense it made? Not to spoil too much for those of you that are about to read it, but Yachi has a... revelation of sorts, which will help to finally get the ball rolling on hers and Kuroos relationship.
> 
> However! As a woman of my word, who promised a certain someone... I will also be uploading as regular on sunday so that any of you that were anticipating it will get your Akaashi fix! 
> 
> Love you all, hope you enjoy and understand why this had to happen to further the SWEET SWEET PLOT!
> 
> <3

Not having a whole lot of time to process what just happened, Yachi finds herself whisked away in a car, squashed between Saeko and Iwaizumi - who, along with Asahi, are currently being driven to Saeko and Akiteru’s apartment for ‘prep’... whatever that means.

Upon arrival at the small, but homely third story apartment, Yachi once again has her wrist caught by the elder woman and is dragged into what is clearly the couple’s bedroom. It is surprisingly tidy, considering Yachi was regularly welcomed to the sight of Akiteru’s devastating room in their home town - which always looked like a wild animal had tossed the place. Deducing that Saeko must be the cleaner of the two - despite her messy personality - Yachi finds herself calming down a little. If she is able to clean up after Akiteru’s mess then she’s probably not as wild as she seems.

“Come on! Stop gawking and lets find something that fits you!” She hears from the far corner of the room, turning to see Saeko throwing open the doors to a fairly large wardrobe. Oh no. “You’re a little bit shorter than I am... so that means trousers are off the cards, but a skirt or dress would do! Hey, Toka-chan, you got any preferences or should I just dress you up like a little doll?” She punctuates with a wink, before being swallowed up by the clothes that she is searching through.

“Erm... I like skirts and dresses... my fashion is pretty girly to be honest—”

“Nope! None of that tonight! Incase you haven’t noticed, I don’t really do girly - plus we want you to look smokin’ hot! You said you don’t have a crush on anyone, right? Well that could all change with a little bit of karaoke,” she says, adding a little hip shimmy for effect. “My clothes are dark and grungy... I’m gonna have you lookin’ like a fine little snack by the time we walk out that door, don’t you worry Toka!”

At a loss for what do you, Yachi decides to let Saeko do her thing - she trusts Akiteru and Akiteru trusts his girlfriend so... what’s the worst that could happen? 

A projectile from her left catches her off guard, making her regret thinking such a bold statement. Ducking out of the way she turns to see the older woman muttering whilst her gaze flits between the two items she holds in either hand. Wandering closer, Yachi can determine that she is debating between two tops, one of which is a baggy, cropped t-shirt that seems to connect to some kind of fishnet sleeves and stomach... a little too revealing for Yachi’s taste. The other is a simple, black vest top with a bejewelled - though deep - neckline. Deciding that sparkles are more up her alley than fishnets, she lightly taps Saeko on the shoulder and points to the sparkly top, “that one’s nice,” she all but whispers, afraid that the woman may have preferred the other shirt.

“You like that one kid? I agree, it suits you. Okay!” She says with gusto, chucking the fishnet disaster behind her with little care - maybe she isn’t the tidy one after all -handing the remaining top over to Yachi, along with the earlier projectile that nearly hit her in the face. “Go into the bathroom across the hall and put these on— oh!” Running to a chest of drawers behind her she pulls out something black and sheer looking, “and these! You are gonna look great, now go. Shoo!” 

With a final shove, Yachi finds herself tumbling into the empty hall, hands wrapped around an assortment of contrasting fabrics - is that leather? - as the door slams shut behind her, escape route closed. Presumably Saeko is putting her own outfit together, so Yachi does as any self-preservational 19 year old would do - follows Saeko’s orders. 

With only a bit of fumbling and the dropping of one of the sheer, snake-like things, she manages to lock herself in the bathroom, which thankfully has a full-length mirror so that she can see what she is doing.

Removing her clothes - and the pencils that have miraculously stayed in her hair - Yachi decides to start with the sparkly tank top, knowing what to do with that one. The item fits like a glove and is noticeably more revealing than she thought it would be. With a deep, V neckline, surrounded by diamontes that get progressively smaller as they spread out along the fabric, before disappearing altogether, one’s eyes can’t help but be drawn to her chest. She’s certainly not flat-chested per-se, just... slightly smaller than average... which the top points out. Other than that though, she has to admit it looks pretty good on her, the student not used to seeing herself in such dark clothes, preferring pastels and ditsy prints. 

Looking down at the other items with apprehension, she decides to don the bottom half of her ensemble next - which, she was right, is in fact leather. A pleated, leather skater skirt. Undoing the zip on the side she slowly slides it up and over her hips, realising that it is to be worn resting at the soft curve of her waist. After a small debate, she tucks the vest top into the skirt and zips it back up, hands smoothing over the supple fabric. Looking in the mirror Yachi gives a small whimper. The skirt rests - barely - at the middle of her thighs and, when she turns to look at the back, only JUST covers her ass! Giving a little swish to test it out, she’s grateful to find that the thickness of the fabric prevents it from moving too much, giving her a little faith that she MIGHT be lucky enough not to accidentally flash all of her new friends tonight. 

Face burning at the thought she turns back to the pile which now consists of three things, the first and second of which matching. The third however, is a pair of shorts. Confused, Yachi picks them up, wondering if Saeko had included them to give her an option other than the skirt, however, upon closer inspection the item is less a pair of shorts, more a glorified pair of underwear. The black fabric - though opaque - is thin and incredibly stretchy, adhering to her lower regions like a second skin. Looking in the mirror though, Yachi gets it. They look like tiny shorts which will protect her dignity in the event that her skirt does indeed fly up, covering all of her vital parts - and absolutely nothing else. 

Slightly mollified by the extra layer of protection added to her outfit, Yachi’s gaze wanders to the final pieces of her outfit - those sheer snakes that Saeko grabbed as a last minute addition. 

Yachi has worn thigh-highs before - in fact she regularly wears them! In cute, bright colours and thick fabrics that keep her legs warm from the frigid temperatures of the air conditioning in her lecture halls. She has NOT, however, worn semi-translucent, glorified lingerie, which has - she discovers upon putting them on - a strip of nude mesh down the back to split the black fabric and draw attention to somewhere she never gets it. 

With a deep breath, she turns back to the mirror and takes herself in. She looks good if she is honest with herself - not amazing, she’s no model... but good - the dark materials contrast with her pale, straw-coloured hair, emphasising the colour of her eyes, making them a brighter, almost amber colour as they seem significantly lighter due the darkness of the rest of her ensemble. A small portion of thigh peeks out between the bottom of her skirt and the top of the tights - not that it matters when her whole legs are on display due to the thin material... it doesn’t look bad though. The bejewelled tank is pretty, casting a cascade of pale spots against her neck and chest when the light hits them, refracting, making her look almost ethereal.

Overall she’s pretty pleased, having expected to come out of this looking like a punk-wannabe, but no... she looks... decent, she thinks, refusing to admit that she looks kinda hot. 

Picking up her clothes to place into her backpack - wherever the lads put it - she peeks out of the bathroom and after seeing no-one, darts across the hall to quickly slip into the bedroom again. A raised eyebrow is all she gets from Saeko as she gently places her belongings on the bed, before twirling to face the elder with baited breath, awaiting her appraisal.

Saeko, who Yachi notes has changed into a deep red, velvet, skin-tight halter top and dark blue skinny jeans, slowly smiles as she swirls her finger in a twirling motion, requesting that the younger spin to show off her new outfit. Only once she has turned 360 degrees and the two are facing each other again, does the woman finally speak, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“You look... absolutely bangin’. Who knew you were hiding a body like that under all those layers, Toka-chan, damn!” Striding forward the elder tweaks and adjusts the fabric in small increments, before her smirk turns into a full-blown grin, “man they aren’t gonna be able to control themselves...” her face turns pensive for a moment, before laughing good-naturedly, “hey, if any of the guys get handsy though, you either come find me and Aki, or you go to Oikawa and Iwa, okay? I don’t think they will, they are all good kids... but just in case.”

Nodding mutely, Yachi stands in shock. Does Saeko actually think guys will be interested in her? Having always been the ‘ugly’ girl in school, or over-looked due to her shy nature, she can’t really imagine that things will go any differently than normal. Shrugging the compliments and concerns off, she smiles at the woman and gently thanks her for lending her clothes. 

“Ohoho, we aren’t done yet kiddo! Sit yourself down,” she says, gesturing to the wheeled seat that’s situated in front of what is clearly Saeko’s beauty desk - the messiness of the thing contrasting with the rest of the relatively tidy room. Sitting to face the desk as she was asked, Yachi squeaks in surprise, to the amusement of Saeko, as she is swivelled around to face the woman who holds a small, black brush in one hand threateningly, “close your eyes, Toka-chan.”

...

After 30 minutes of prodding, pulling and poking at both her hair and face, Saeko deems Yachi ready and shoves her towards the standing mirror in the corner of the room.

Looking at herself Yachi is shocked to see her warm, brown eyes looking even lighter and more amber than they had in the bathroom, surrounded by softly smudged, black liner and grey shadow with a soft, white inner highlight, making them look as if they glow from within. 

Soft blush, a rose-gold highlighter and peachy lips complete the makeup, making her look edgy, but soft. Not making her into another person, but instead enhancing what she’s already got and putting a spin on it. 

She likes it, she discovers. She wouldn’t wear it everyday - she’s too attached to her colours for that - but every once in a while, for special occasions such as this? She likes it. It makes her feel powerful, and in control, like her old tormenters can’t hurt her, because looking at herself - with her legs on display and her hair gently waved, parting at the side in a mature, elegant way, and her bright, smokey eyes lighting up the room - she realises that she doesn’t see the ugly, shy girl they used to pin her as. 

She’s Yachi, the graphics student who is putting herself out there and making friends and going to karaoke with a bunch of strangers. Those memories from her past are exactly that - memories. They can’t touch her now and she needs to stop letting them control her... smiling gently she allows herself to think about Saeko’s earlier question. Does she really not have a crush on anyone? 

Or has she just not LET herself have a crush on anyone... afraid to be rejected or told the same kind of shit she did when she was younger...

Well fuck. 

Grinning to herself, Yachi feels happiness blooming in her chest at the idea of having a crush on someone - of something that she has denied herself for so long due to the fear remaining from her childhood. Such a simple, girly thing that she can finally allow herself to have! 

Smiling giddily, she puts on the small heels that Saeko hands to her and follows behind the woman as they walk towards the living room where a large group of volleyballers has assembled, ready to go sing their hearts out and devour copious amounts of sake - be it in celebration or loss.

Making eye contact with the older woman that helped her to have this recent breakthrough, Yachi finds herself reaching out to grab her hand and pull her into a hug - not normally one to initiate physical contact, Yachi is slightly awkward, but soon melts into the elder as strong arms come around her, soon followed by another pair from behind, which she recognises to be Akiteru’s. Laughing at the dopey older man, she lightly knocks him away, Saeko complaining about ‘men always ruining the moment’ before running off to shout something strongly-worded at her brother.

Moving to follow, Yachi finds her path blocked as the older Tsukishima looks at her with concern, hiding her from the rest of the room as he gently squeezes her shoulder, asking, “are you alright Yachi-chan? It’s not like you to hug near-strangers like that... has something upset you?” The concern in his eyes makes her own well up with gratitude. Truly, what did she do to deserve such wonderful people in her life?

“I’m fine, Aki-Nii - better than fine, actually,” she states with a slight giggle, still riding the high of her revelation, “Saeko just helped me work through a couple of things... I’m happy. Happier than I’ve been in a while if I’m honest.” Turning to spy through the door to the living room, she feels warmth spreading through her chest as she watches Bokuto and Kuroo digging at Kei, their kouhai looking about ready to snap - a look she knows all too well from trying to study with Hinata and Kageyama, the two driving her blond friend round the bend. Laughing slightly at their antics she turns back to the man, who is watching her with a soft smile of his own, “I think... I’m ready to start moving on. It’s going to take time... and it’s not going to be easy... but I want to try, Niisan! And I’ve met people here that make me want to try. To be open and happy without being worried that someone will take advantage of me... I want that,” she whispers, allowing herself to be wrapped up in the familiar arms that have held her through the past three years when she would run away from home for a day or two, knowing her mother wouldn’t notice, or when she would fall asleep during studying, only to have nightmares and wake up crying...

A wet feeling on her cheek makes her look up in surprise, finding tears running down Akiteru’s cheeks. Lost, she flutters her hands in panic, eyes widening as if to ask him ‘what do I do?!’ Which in turn makes him chuckle. 

Sighing out a soft, “sorry” he once more folds her back into his arms, speaking to her gently as he continues, “I’m just happy for you Yachi-chan. I know how terribly life has treated you and I always understood why you were so reserved - I mean, have you met my brother?” They both chuckle at that, thinking of the boys bitter attitude. “You’ve always blamed yourself though, Yachi... for the things people said about you or they way they treated you... you always assumed it was your fault and convinced yourself that you deserved it. Deserved to be sad... so to hear you say that you are happy? And thar you want to try? It makes me so glad. Your happiness is all myself and Kei have ever wanted for you and we will be here for you whenever you need us,” sucking in a big breath he moves away from her petite form and gives her a harsh slap on the back, pushing her towards the noising living room, “so go and get it and don’t worry about the consequences. Be happy Yachi.”

Walking into the living room to the smiles and laughter of her friends - both old and new - Yachi smiles and agrees with Akiteru’s words. Making eye contact with Kuroo, who tilts his head to the side questioningly, giving her a gentle smile back, she finally thinks that for once she can allow herself to be happy.


	12. I Mean, You ARE Kind Of A Smart-ass, But That’s Not ALL You Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends... I DID IT!
> 
> Two chapters in one week, look at me go!
> 
> As promised here is some Akaashi Keiji for y’all... can’t promise that you will be happy about it though ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> I genuinely do hope you all enjoy this chapter though, because I really do. I’ve opened up a bunch of different paths for the story to continue down and I don’t know which one I’m going to take!
> 
> There’s also notes at the end of the chapter for once, so feel free to read those too and let me know what you think about my... artistic choices concerning certain characters XD
> 
> Love you all! As always, feel free to comment or heart this shit, but if its not your thing dont worry about it! In the wise words of Tescos... every little helps!
> 
> See y’all next week, goodness knows whats gonna happen... JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL! <3
> 
> EDIT: TRIGGER WARNING!!! A panic attack and mild descriptions of a panic attack happen in this chapter xxx

It turns out that trying to get the better part of 20 excitable people - most of which being university volleyball players - to a Karaoke bar is actually quite a difficult task.

The debate between getting taxis vs. Driving themselves and having designated drivers took ten minutes on its own to reach a conclusion - said conclusion being that Daichi, Asahi, Iwaizumi and a smaller man named Yaku, who had played for Tsukki’s team, would be the designated drivers. This was decided because Oikawa and the man with the dyed blonde hair - Terushima, Yachi thinks his name was - claimed that then they could be driven for post alcohol takeaway afterwards, in a vague attempt to stave off their hangovers. 

Yachi worried that the four men would be angry or offended by the decision, however, when she lightly tugged on the sleeve of her kindred spirit Asahi, he assured her that everything was okay and that they weren’t big drinkers anyways, asides from Iwaizumi, who was staying sober to look after Oikawa and make sure no drama occurred - the latter being known for his rambunctious personality when drunk.

And so, here they are, heading on their merry way. The drive only takes about 10 minutes, Yachi joining a car with Kei, Akiteru, Saeko and Daichi. 

The man pulls into a parking lot and they walk for another five minutes, trailing behind the enthusiastic march of Saeko, before reaching a large, brick building lit by many retro, neon signs. As a regular customer, Saeko heads in to secure a room large enough for the 16 of them that are participating in what is sure to be absolute shambles. 

The other four wait outdoors for their fellow Karaoke-goers to arrive, Saeko returning after ten minutes to confirm that they have a room ready and booked until 2am, which Yachi thinks is a good call considering it is now after 9pm, the match having taken much longer than she anticipated. 

Over 20 minutes passes before the rest of their ragtag group appears, a tipsy Ryuu leading the charge - that explains the lateness then - as they all head into the building, Terushima, Kuroo and Bokuto stopping behind at what looks like a bar. The three of them make a good picture, Yachi observes as she passes by them on the way to their room. All three seem to have co-ordinated their outfits to match, each one wearing a different colour checkered shirt, open over a plain t-shirt with jeans; Kuroo in red and black; Terushima in yellow and black; Bokuto in white and black. It’s a good look. 

The room itself isn’t particularly big, with a stage opposite the door as you walk in, five microphones set up at regular intervals across the front. To the left side of the steps up to the stage is the Karaoke machine, Ryuu and Yuu running across to pick a song as Yachi takes everything in, apparently also familiar with the establishment. To either side of the door, faux-leather booths stretch out and around, lining either wall, with a large circular table in each corner. Stools and chairs are pulled around the other sides of the tables, with extra seats stacked in the far corner, off to the right of the stage. Each table can probably fit 10-12 people she reckons... there’s plenty of space. Yachi quickly takes a seat at the left booth, next to Kei, who has predictably pressed himself into the corner as far as he can get. Sidling up next to him she gives him a gentle smile - whether to dispel her nerves or his attitude, she doesn’t know, but she sees his shoulders loosen marginally and considers it a success. 

Taking note, Yachi spies only four members of Kei’s team - including himself - that decided to come along; Kei, the captain Daichi, the shorter man Yaku, and a silver-haired man who’s name she discovers (after tugging on Kei’s arm to ask him) is Semi. He is currently sat in the opposite corner of the karaoke room with the redheaded middle blocker from Kuroo’s team... who’s name she can’t remember - Ten-something? Their table is also joined by Daichi, Asahi, Oikawa and Iwaizumi, the latter and Daichi seeming to know eachother well, beginning an animated conversation about something or other. 

Akiteru and Saeko situate themselves to Kei’s left and Yaku sits across from them on a stool, leaving Yachi’s right bare to the elements, the girl automatically hunching in towards her friend for comfort, feeling a bit too exposed in a room full of strangers. 

Before she can dwell on the feeling further, however, the speakers suddenly come alive and she turns to see Yuu giggling as he drunkenly attempts - fails - to climb up the front of the stage, microphone in hand while Ryuu has turned to face away from his now enraptured audience in order to twerk along to the beginning of Crazy In Love by Beyonce and Jay Z. Unable to contain herself, Yachi bursts into laughter along with the rest of the room as Yuu gives up on climbing the stage and instead struts around in front of it giving imaginary hair-flicks, putting his heart and soul into the ‘uh oh’s that introduce the song.

As they begin to sing, Ryuu giving Noya a hand onto the stage - finally - Yachi feels heat to her right, turning to see a tray of various drinks and liquids being placed onto the table by the bottle-blond Terushima, who huffs dramatically and falls into place beside her with a wink.

“Hello there little one, I don’t believe we have had the pleasure of being properly introduced,” he says with another wink, this one more sleazy than the first as he slides a shot glass of mysterious red liquid towards her, whilst holding up his own. “I’m Terushima Yuuji, but feel free to call me Yuuji. What’s your name?”

Tentatively holding up her own shot glass in a shaking hand she stammers back, “I’m Y-Yachi Hitoka, a friend of Tsukishima’s, p-pleased to meet you,” and watches as he connects their shot glasses before tipping his own down his throat with a lick of his lips. Yachi hurriedly attempts to do the same, though it doesn’t go down nearly as smoothly for her, the blonde trying her best not to choke on the sickeningly sweet, raspberry beverage - is this sours? 

Turning back to the boy before her, she watches as he grins, already picking up two more shots - blue ones this time - to slide across the table, when he is violently jerked back with an undignified squawk, which makes Yachi snort in turn, his womanising demeanour ruined as long, black-clad legs climb across his lap to slide between the two of them. Stealing the two blue shots and ignoring the complaints from behind him, Kuroo lifts one up to her lips and smirks against his own glass, before tipping both back, not giving her time to get flustered over the fact that she is practically being fed her shot by the man. Both drinks are finished with a grimace from either consumer - it was nowhere near as smooth as the red one had been - Kuroo giving her a slight, but honest smile.

“Hey Angel-chan, haven’t seen you in a while, what’s up?”

Thinking back now, she realises the last time they saw eachother was her breakdown about the ‘stranger’ messaging her... oh no. Gearing herself up to utter another apology and promise him that she’s not been avoiding him, she is saved by a head of grey/black hair poking around his side with a loud hoot, followed by more disgruntled noises coming from Terushima, who has once again had his seat stolen. 

“HEY HEY HEY! How ya doin’ Yacchan? How’s the art comin’ along? Did you enjoy the match? HEY! Did you seen my awesome cross-spike that won the third set? Did ya—”

A firm elbow to the gut by Kuroo has both Bokuto and Yachi wincing while he sends her an apologetic look, before turning to his friend and saying, “one question at a time man. Let her breathe, we’ve got all night.”

“Oh yeah! My bad Yacchan, sometimes I get a little excited— but I havent seen you in AGES! I’m so glad you came to the match! Did you like it?!” As she watches, Yachi notes how he visibly reels himself in to stop from asking her more questions, body vibrating as he waits for her answer, like a puppy that has been told to ‘wait’. It’s cute.

Absolutely endeared to the older man, Yachi smiles at him and replies, “yes I did enjoy it, Bokuto. I’m glad that I bumped into Akiteru-Nii though, because I probably would have been completely lost without his and Iwaizumi’s commentary. I also did see your cross-spike that won the third set!” She says, getting a little excited herself as the shots start coursing through her body, remembering the adrenaline that had filled the sports arena. The cross itself had been a magnificent play on his part, Oikawa’s set up for the shot having been utterly perfect, while Tanaka worked as a decoy - Yachi tells him as much, leaning forwards in excitement as the two continue to discuss different plays throughout the game, Terushima coming around the table to lean against Tsukki, who’s other side is now free as Akiteru and Saeko are performing a duet on the stage - a strange coupling, but Tsukki doesn’t seem any saltier than usual, so she leaves them alone to chat.

Pleasant conversation flows between the two for a good 15-20 minutes, Yachi and Bokuto each finishing two drinks in that time - Kuroo and Yaku having a conversation above Yachi’s head - before Bokuto makes a noise of exclamation, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He looks across it, reading the contents for a couple of seconds before his face races through a mix of emotions, from excited, to nervous, to upset, back to excited, as he tells the group that Akaashi will be arriving soon.

“Akaashi’s coming?” Kuroo questions, before Yachi can herself.

A soft “mhmm” is all that can be heard from Bokuto as he continues to stare at his phone.

“You okay with that, bro? ‘Cause you don’t really seem it...” Kuroo says, pausing to make eye contact with Yachi who can only shrug, having not heard anything about the situation since his breakdown at the library when they first met. “Are things with him still awkward?” He questions.

“Well... not really. Like, Yacchan cleared up the recital thing for me a while back,” he says, shooting her a grateful grin, “but a couple days after that he started acting weird? He spends less time around me and is more snappy than usual and I don’t know what to do!” Bokuto bursts, clearly having been holding his concerns in for a while now, “I mean, I don’t think I’ve done anything to upset him? But I know he isn’t treating anyone else in the flat this way... do you think he found out that I like him? And that’s why he’s angry with me...” he trails off, head beginning to droop in disappointment.

Panicking a little, Yachi does the only thing she can think of - she grabs two shots off the tray and shoves one of them into his hand, ignoring Kuroo’s wide-eyed look. Making eye contact with Bokuto she clinks their glasses together and watches as he downs the shot she gave him, swallowing her own with the ease that comes from being a couple of drinks in. Placing the glasses back down on the table - man her head is feeling a little dizzy now - she climbs across Kuroo’s lap and onto Bokuto’s, ignoring the hissing from behind her - what’s Kuroo’s problem?

Once she is situated she grabs Bokuto’s cheeks in her hands and smooshes them together comically, before saying in her most confident voice “Bokuto Koutarou you are a wonderful person. No one has any right to treat you badly, especially if they aren’t going to tell you why. If Akaashi is being rude to you then that is Akaashi’s problem, not yours, because you are a good boy who deserves love and respect and kindness!” She ends with a nod and hair ruffle, feeling good about her impromptu speech, still riding on the high of her self-epiphany earlier at Saeko’s place.

Still smooshing his face, Yachi searches out Bokuto’s eyes and lets him see the honesty within her own, watching as he relaxes under her grip, the desolation from before melting away under her hands.

Smiling up at her he nods in agreement, before grinning slyly. Yachi doesn’t have long to analyse what that look means, before strong hands are gripping her thighs and she is being hauled into the air. Panicking as her center of gravity shifts, Yachi wraps her legs around Bokuto’s waist, giggling at the sensation as he begins to walk the two of them - more of a drunken stumble really - towards the karaoke machine... neither of them noticing as the door to the room opens and another figure slides in, perching next to Kuroo.

Giving her a grin, Bokuto swings one arm underneath her butt, cradling her body close to his while freeing his other, to tap in their song. Normally Yachi would be worried about performing in front of so many people, but in her tipsy state she’s too busy marvelling at the fact that Bokuto can hold her entire body up with one arm - when drunk! 

With a sound of satisfaction, Bokuto carries her up the stairs to the stage, whoops and cheers sounding from behind them as they make quite the spectacle - a tiny, blonde angel in the arms of a giant, grey owl. A very familiar song begins to play as Bokuto hands her a microphone.

Gasping in recognition, Yachi smiles as the energetic beat to Queen’s, Don’t Stop Me Now begins to thread its way through the room - the song she was singing along to the first time she encountered Bokuto. Hopping down to the stage with a slight stumble - she’s in heels damnit, she’s TOTALLY not drunk - Yachi makes eye contact with a person she has never seen before across the room.

Ah, she thinks. This is Akaashi... 

He’s pretty. As pretty as Bokuto described to her, in worn, dark blue jeans and a burgundy cardigan. The look on his face, however, is far from pretty. Mouth stretched into a scowl and eyebrows furrowed, he meets Yachi’s gaze with one of contempt. 

Shocked by the aggression being sent her way, she fumbles for a moment before letting liquid courage take the wheel. If this guy is playing with her friend’s feelings then she is gonna show him what he’s missing. Turning away from those piercing eyes with a flick of her hair and a swish of her leather skirt - thank you Saeko! - she looks directly at Bokuto as they say perfectly in time, “Don’t stop me now... don’t stop me - ‘Cause I’m havin’ a good time, havin’ a good time!” Launching into the song.

And what a song it is.

Performing has never been Yachi’s strong suit, social anxiety always getting the better of her, however, with alcohol coursing through her veins, a new friend to protect and an asshole to prove wrong, standing on that stage belting Queen at the top of her tiny lungs has never been easier.

The two parade around, pointing at random members of their - extremely enthusiastic - crowd, jumping and miming out the lyrics to the song with a passion that rivals Oikawa’s love for aliens. Bokuto even lifting her up at some points to the joy of their friends, who find her small body being flung into the air highly amusing.

Every so often, Yachi will catch and meet the glare of Akaashi as she sings the classic lines “don’t stop me now,” hoping to get across the message that she doesn’t want his foul mood ruining Bokuto’s or her night. 

As the song draws to a close, the two panting heavily as they drunkenly sing the final “la la la”s, their friends cheer loudly, Yachi’s grin threatening to splitting her face in half as she rides her Queen induced adrenaline rush, following Bokuto off the stage and back to their booth, where a thunderous Akaashi awaits them, Bokuto speeding up with a hoot as he finally notices his best friend’s arrival. 

“Hey hey hey, Akaashi! This is Yacchan that I was telling you about!” Bokuto says, sliding into the booth beside the man, clearly having gotten over his earlier concerns, slinging his arm around his slender friend’s shoulders.

“Yes I assumed... It’s nice to finally meet you,” he says, his voice and gaze contradicting the statement completely. “Though, with how much Bokuto talks about you, I feel as if I already know you.”

Feeling the sarcasm radiating from the man, Yachi watches as Kei and Kuroo’s eyes also widen, taking in the tone of voice used by the other. Feeling cowed and uncomfortable, Yachi gives a strained smile and a quiet “likewise” before awkwardly clearing her throat and standing from the table, murmuring something about going to the toilet, needing air now that the high from performing has worn off. 

What was she thinking?! Challenging the man like that! He clearly doesn’t like her and what does she do? Makes it worse. This is Bokuto’s crush and long-time friend we are talking about here, if she can’t get along with him then we all know which one of them he’s going to choose to keep around...

Practically running at this point, her panic taking over, Yachi lets her feet pull her outside of the building, jogging a little ways down the street before stopping to lean against a random building. Closing her eyes she tries to take a deep breath, counting in her head to 10 seconds, before slowly letting it out in an attempt to calm herself. She can feel the shivers beginning in her arms and legs - something that has always happened to her when she starts falling into a panic attack - her body slowly sliding down the wall behind her to rest on the floor, knees drawn tight against her chest. 

Unable to hold her head up as her body begins to tingle and grow numb, vaguely aware of her limbs spasming in her peripheral, she drops her head onto her knees and lets go.

Sobs ripping from deep within her chest, she lets out all of the feelings that she has kept contained since arriving in Tokyo. All of the fear she has for her flatmate, all of the anger she has for her mother, all of the homesickness she feels when she thinks about her highschool friends... she allows everything to bubble up to the surface and lets go. Even when she was receiving messages from what she thought was a bully from her past, she didn’t let herself go like this. Cradled in the safety of Kuroo’s arms in the library she didn’t have to. She could contain it... control it... but not this time.

She’s finally done it, she thinks, body feeling both weightless and heavy at the same time. Once again she’s lost the friends she made. How long before Bokuto stops talking to her because Akaashi doesn’t like her? How long until Suzumeda and Yukie find out that their beloved Akaashi doesn’t like her and they up their bullying? How long until the others follow Bokuto’s lead and stop hanging out with her? How long until she’s once again completely and hopelessly alone...

Yachi has no idea how long she sits outside like that, riding out her panic attack, before she finally begins to feel her body again. Five minutes? Fifteen? Fifty? She doesn’t know, nor does she care... except there’s an odd weight to her right and across her back that wasn’t there before. Feeling like Atlas, carrying the entire world on his back, she slowly lifts her heavy head to get a look at what is resting against her - or who she should say, as her eyes meet molten gold.

Unable to dredge up enough energy to even be surprised, Yachi allows her head to fall back onto her knees, gaze trailing slowly across the handsome face of her unlikely companion. 

“I’m going to take it by your slow blinking that you are finally returning to the land of the living... how you feelin’ Kitten? You’ve been out of it for quite a while.”

Brain struggling to translate the questions asked, Yachi opens her mouth to croak out an answer, “I’m okay... been better. What are you doing out here?”

Chuckling in mirth, bedhead swaying like reeds of grass in the wind, Kuroo turns serious eyes on her. “You really think I’d let you sit in the street alone for 30 minutes having a panic attack? I wouldn’t even do that to Bo, and he’s got muscles upon muscles - no one would mess with him. You’re just a tiny, blonde beauty in minimal clothing... there’s no way in hell I would have left you out here on your own,” he finishes, voice rising towards the end with conviction. 

Who would have guessed that the whole delinquent look is such a front, Yachi thinks, realising now just how truly kind and considerate the man is - something that is easy to dismiss when considering his grungy, bad-boy looks - which Yachi definitely judged too quickly. Ashamed of herself for her terrible flaw of judging a book by its cover, Yachi turns her face into her knees and softly apologises. 

“What? Why are you apologising? It’s hardly your fault Akaashi was being an ass - and don’t you dare apologise for having a panic attack, you can’t exactly control it, y’know,” Kuroo all but huffs, leaning further into her side, the weight on her back tightening - huh, I guess that must be his arm, Yachi thinks, still pretty out of it after her episode. 

Pulling her head up, Yachi looks Kuroo in the eyes determinedly and says, “no. Not the panic attack. I’m sorry for judging you based on your looks instead of your actions. You have been kind and funny and generous, but I’ve brushed it off constantly thinking it was a one off, instead of just your personality, because I was convinced that you were just a snarky, conniving, smart-ass... which isn’t true. I mean, you ARE kind of a smart-ass, but that’s not ALL you are and I failed to see that because of my own assumptions that I never bothered to look beyond... so I’m sorry. And thank you for looking after me while I was out of it.” She ends, feeling thoroughly cowed, expecting him to stand up and walk away after hearing that, but refusing to break eye contact with him - it’s the least he deserves.

As she watches, a pale pink slowly tints across the male’s high cheekbones. Huh, pretty, she thinks, as he opens his mouth to respond, choking on air for a moment, “you... don’t need to apologise for that,” he says, looking away from her - damn those piercing, amber eyes - “I know how I come across when people first meet me and I don’t try to change their opinions.” Sighing harshly he ruffles his own hair, giving it an artfully tousled look in Yachi’s opinion, as opposed to the usual bedhead. “You see, Yachi... I have my close friends and I like it that way. I never wanted or needed anyone else, so why bother playing nice with every person I meet? I’m just not interested... but, you’re part of the group now... pretty sure Iwaizumi and Oikawa have already adopted you without your knowledge, so... I guess it’s okay. 

“I put up that front so that people don’t want to get closer to me. Don’t want to get to know me - ‘Cause who wants to get to know an asshole? - and I save my real personality for my precious people... which includes you now...” he trails off, ears now tinged a delicate rose to match the flush across his face, still not looking at Yachi.

Stretching her legs and arms out, Yachi begins the process of bringing her limbs back to life, contemplating the older boy’s words. One of his precious people, huh? She thinks back on their meetings, the strings of messages they have exchanged, remembers him holding her in his arms as she cried, thinking she was being stalked. She looks at him now, pink-dusted cheeks, embarrassed and facing away from her, yet with his arm still slung around her shoulders to comfort her - supporting her, even amidst his own vulnerable revelation - shoulders which, now that she looks properly, are covered by his red and black, checkered shirt to keep her warm during her panic attack...

Oh shit. OH SHIT. 

Face blushing crimson, Yachi quickly ducks her head, letting her hair fall around her face, before squeaking out, “you’re one of my precious people too,” missing the astonished and awestruck look on Kuroo’s face as he turns back to look at her, hope filling his frame as a smile rises to his lips, unbidden. 

Deciding not to reply, lest he embarrass himself even more by squeaking or something equally mortifying, Kuroo stands up and walks around in front of Yachi, holding his hands out for her to take, which she does without question, making the boy preen internally.

Once she is standing without wobbling like a newborn lamb, Kuroo believes that he has recovered enough from the shock to speak properly, clearing his throat just in case, before asking her, “do you want to go back up, or would you rather head out.”

The idea of facing Akaashi again is so appalling that Yachi doesn’t even hesitate to reply, “out, definitely head out,” with a decisive nod.

Nodding in return, Kuroo pulls out his phone and sends off a quick text to Iwaizumi and Oikawa - who he has been keeping updated on the situation, after they texted him wondering where he and Yachi got to - with a plethora of suggestive emojis on Oikawa’s part. However, once he explained the situation, Iwaizumi said to let him know when she was okay and that he would drive her home if needed - God bless Iwaizumi Hajime! 

Pocketing his phone after receiving a quick confirmation, Kuroo holds out his elbow to Yachi with far more confidence than he actually feels, offering her some assistance walking. 

Face still burning, Yachi takes the arm and they begin a slow walk back to the car park where she recalls Daichi pulling in earlier - wow that feels like way longer than a couple of hours ago - to wait for their designated driver. 

It’s not long before Oikawa and Iwaizumi appear, the former taking one look at Yachi’s gaunt, tear-streaked face, before pulling her into a tight hug with a sighed, “oh, Angel-chan.” 

Piling into the car, Yachi ends up in the back seat with Oikawa and Kuroo on either side, both boys leaning into her, providing comfort should she need it, which she basks in, leaving Iwaizumi in the front alone to drive them home. 

It takes about five minutes, before Yachi becomes aware enough to notice one of the buildings they are driving past and gently call out, “ummm, Iwaizumi-san... my apartment is in the other direction.”

A snort from her left and a chuckle from her right makes Yachi swivel her head in confusion between the two - clearly she’s missing something...

However, it’s Iwaizumi who speaks up, saying, “yeah, we aren’t taking you back to your place kid. You’re coming home with us tonight,” sending her a reassuring smirk through the rear-view mirror, to make sure that his words aren’t misconstrued. And while it’s a nice offer, she can’t help, but feel her heart beginning to pound again at the idea of possibly bumping into Akaashi in the morning.

As if reading her mind, Kuroo leans down to whisper into her right ear, “don’t worry. He always leaves before 7am every morning for practise... you can stay in my bed for the night, I’ll take the sofa, then drive you home tomorrow. You’ll be safe there, I promise,” he finishes, softly brushing his nose against the top of her head before pulling away with a reassuring smile... and Yachi believes him.

It shocks her for a second that she does - that she is so trusting of another person she barely knows, but...

That’s a crush, I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the Akaashi lovers out there... #sorrynotsorry. 
> 
> Don’t know about you, but I love a bit of angst and jealous Akaashi just provides so many different opportunities for this fic! 
> 
> I’ve read many BokuAka fics and very few have jealous Akaashi in them, but in my head he totally would be the kind of person that gets jealous? Since Bokuto has a new female friend that he messages all the time and we know how enthusiastic he can be... whoops!
> 
> Oh well! I loved this chapter, and I hope you all did too! Don’t worry though, he isn’t going to become an antagonist in this fic or anything, just provide some miscommunication opportunities :D
> 
> Pls dont hate me lol xoxo


	13. Well she knows what will be happening in their room tonight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s Britney Bitch!
> 
> Hey all, I’m finally back after a 3 month hiatus! 
> 
> Don’t even know if anyone is still waiting for this, or if you’ve all given up on me... whoops!
> 
> I’ve been travelling for the past 3 months and been generally busy with christmas, the new year and whatnot, BUT it’s now 2020 so lets get this shit back on the road - new year, same story and all that.
> 
> Anyways, I apologise for the long wait and hope that you all like it, it’s a pretty chill chapter to ease us all back into it.
> 
> Feel free to kudos and PLEASE leave a comment, I always try to reply :) 
> 
> Love you all, thanks for reading! Xoxo

With the panic attack, the 15 minute drive and the mindless conversation from her tipsy companions, Yachi is feeling pretty much sober by the time the four of them stumble up three flights of stairs to the lads’ apartment.

She isn’t sure what to expect when the door is swung open before her - Oikawa giving a dramatic bow, spouting off some poetic nonsense about a knight, in a terrible British accent - but this is pretty fitting, she thinks.

The door opens into a large living room. Three comfy-looking sofas surround a wooden coffee table, facing a generous-sized television that takes center stage against the left wall of the room. Underneath it is a television stand that she is sure was once organised... maybe... at some point, but is now a higgledy piggle of games, controllers and wires spilling out in all directions. Past the sofas in the back corner, opposite the door, is a small loveseat piled with blankets and throws covering god knows what. Beyond the loveseat cove is a kitchen with an island - it’s bigger than she was expecting and MUCH cleaner than she was expecting, one of the apartments inhabitants clearly looking after it better than other areas. Straight ahead of the door is a hallway extending forwards and curling to the left a ways down, littered with different doors which she assumes connect to the lads rooms...

“How many of you actually live here?” She asks, removing her shoes and placing them on a disorderly rack by the door as the other three pile in, Oikawa and Iwaizumi heading for the kitchen, while Kuroo meanders towards the loveseat with a mischievous smile.

It’s Iwaizumi’s disembodied voice that answers her question from behind the fridge door. “There’s eight of us here. We can only afford such a large place because there’s so many of us splitting the costs, but it fits us nicely, even if there isn’t a whole load of... privacy,” he says, communicating his meaning with a slap to Oikawa’s behind as he saunters past holding what looks to be a bag of milk-bread, the latter jumping with a screeched “IWA-CHAN!” Before huffily munching on his bread as his lover continues.

“You’ve got myself and this clown,” he says, punctuating the statement with a headnod towards his partner, “Nishinoya and Tanaka, Bokuto and Akaashi, and Kuroo and—”

“KENMA!” Kuroo shouts, interrupting Iwaizumi’s explanation as he lifts a small figure from the loveseat - Simba style. 

The shout shocks Yachi away from her perch against the kitchen wall. Where did the figure even come from? Were they... under the blankets on the loveseat?! Talk about blending in... “holy shit, you could be a spy for the government with how stealthy you are!” She gasps, her mouth gaping open in shock at the words that left it without her brain’s permission, the look mirrored on the faces of those around her as a small voice dryly replies.

“How do you know I’m not?”

Shaken out of his shock at Yachi’s outburst, Kuroo begins to shake the small creature in his arms while cackling manically as Oikawa loudly whispers “I told you so!” To Iwaizumi, who promptly whacks him across the back of the head.

Blonde tresses with impressive brown roots, slowly begin to peek out of the slumping blankets that Kuroo’s shaking brings loose. Slanted eyes look her up and down appraisingly, before one of them quirks upwards with a twitch - a twitch of amusement or judgement, Yachi doesn’t know.

Feeling the weight of those golden eyes on her - how many of these people have gold eyes?! Isn’t it meant to be a recessive gene? - she begins to stumble through an apology, but finds herself cut off by that calculating voice as they turn to Kuroo, asking “why is there a strange girl in the apartment?”

Finally placing them back onto the floor, with little struggle from the smaller human, Kuroo smiles, eyes taking on a dangerous glint as he says, “this is Yachi who Bokuto and I have been telling you about—“

“And me!” Oikawa pipes up from the kitchen, with a wink thrown towards Yachi, before stuffing his mouth full of milk bread once again.

“— And Oikawa,” Kuroo amends before continuing, “she’s had a bit of a rough night, so we said she could stay here with us... that alright with you?” He asks, voice tilting upwards at the end, suddenly aware that his friend might not be okay with a stranger staying in the flat, however, before Kenma can reply a timid voice breaks in.

“It’s okay if you would rather I didn’t stay.” Yachi says, hands fiddling with the edge of her borrowed skirt, giving away her anxiety at the sudden turn the situation has taken - the past events of the night taking their toll on her. She just wants somewhere safe to relax for a little while, but she’s not willing to do that at the expense of someone else’s comfort. “This is your space, if you would rather I went home then I can call myself a taxi, I honestly don’t mind... please don’t feel as though you have to say yes.”

It’s as she says this that Kuroo realises she has made the same connection between the two of them that he did the first time he met her. Through bits and pieces that Bokuto and Kuroo have revealed during conversations, Yachi has understood that Kenma also has issues with their mental health and, having already gone through a tough panic attack that night, would never wish for someone else to go through it because of her. If Kenma needs her to leave for their own mental health, then she is more than ready to comply. 

Fuck, where did this girl come from? Kuroo thinks, watching as the girl he likes is not only showing understanding and compassion for his oldest friend’s mental health, but actively trying to help them, despite how it might disadvantage her.

Turning pleading eyes onto his best friend, he watches their calculating gaze flitting from her eyes, to her hands, to her clearly borrowed clothes, taking in all the details as they would when debating what move to make next in one of their video games. 

With a final head tilt of contemplation, a small, genuine smile graces their face as they turn back to the loveseat, dragging the blankets behind them in some semblance of British Royalty. Their calm voice filters into the quiet living room as they say, “you can borrow Kuroo’s clothes if you want, though personally I’d recommend Oikawa’s... he uses the most expensive fabric softener and it shows.” Point made, they stand on top of the loveseat, ignoring the piercing gazes of their various onlookers. Yachi is unable to find her voice as she watches them turn three times in a circle like a cat, the billowing blankets forming a cocoon around their legs, before finally stopping and plopping down into the centre, flicking up a fold of fabric from behind their head in a makeshift hood. With a small shimmy to settle in, the pile of blankets once again looks exactly like it did before, as if no one is residing within them. The perfect social anxiety trick.

Silence envelops the room for another couple of seconds before Oikawa finally finds his voice, shouting, “hey! Are YOU the one that’s been stealing my super comfy Ralph Lauren jumpers?!” 

A disgruntled, “yes” is all that emerges from the loveseat, before Oikawa lets out a war cry and begins his assault on the blankets.

Letting out a small giggle, glad to have Kuroo’s best friend’s approval, Yachi finds her elbow being gently tugged as Iwaizumi leads her away from the ensuing battle, which Kuroo has somehow managed to jump into the fray of. 

Stumbling down the narrow hall, Yachi finds herself being sat onto a plush, queen-sized bed as Iwaizumi rifles through what looks to be a wardrobe - this is the second time tonight that this has happened she thinks, wondering what she will be dressed up in this time.

As if sensing her inquisitive gaze, Iwaizumi turns to her with a devilish smirk of his own, before stating simply, “Kenma isn’t wrong. Oikawa’s clothes truly are the most comfortable,” before continuing his rifling. 

Deciding that a change of clothes would be nice, Yachi begins removing the death traps on her feet that Saeko labelled ‘heels’. More like daggers of torture, Yachi thinks, rubbing at the sore balls of her feet with a moan. Before she can do anything else, however, she once again finds herself being dragged along by the beefy hedgehog - Oikawa’s words, not hers - as he pulls her into a door at the back of the room, which opens to reveal an en suite bathroom. Clothes piled into her arms, Iwaizumi draws back to rummage around in the cupboards for a minute, before producing a clean toothbrush, some toothpaste and some face wipes.

“For the makeup,” he says awkwardly, gesturing to her face at her inquisitive glance, before explaining, “Oikawa likes to wear makeup sometimes and often comes home from photoshoots with it on. After falling asleep with it on a couple of times and waking up with bad break outs - which BELIEVE ME, you are glad you didn’t have to witness. You’d have thought the world was about to end with the amount of tears he was spewing - it made sense to always keep a spare pack in the cupboards, just in case.” Scratching the back of his neck bashfully, Iwaizumi smiles at her before backing out of the bathroom, calling out over his shoulder, “come back out to the living room when you’re done. I’ll make some green tea to chase away the remaining alcohol,” punctuating his kind statement by closing the door gently, allowing her some well-needed privacy. 

Deciding that makeup removal should be her first order of business, lest she get any on the clean clothes she has just been so kindly gifted, she begins the slow, soothing task of removing the layers of itchy product adorning her skin. After that she cleans her teeth, glad to finally be rid of the taste of the raspberry sours shots that never seemed to leave her mouth, despite being the first thing she drank. As the minty toothpaste cleanses her mouth, she feels a little more awake and a little more like herself, as if finally shaking off the remainder of her post-panic-attack jitters. Setting the toothbrush into a very cute galaxy cup holding the other two mens toothbrushes, she spies a comb and brushes out her loose waves, making them even looser, removing the tangles she received from being out in the wind for half an hour. 

Eventually, feeling more like herself, she removes the dark, gothic clothes that Saeko dressed her up in, folding them neatly on top of the toilet, before turning to her new garments. Holding up a pair of light grey sweatpants she sees that on Oikawa they would be 3/4 length, however, looking in the mirror, they just look like full length ones on her petite frame. With a breathy laugh, she smiles at the absurdity of it, unfolding the t-shirt Iwaizumi gave her, giggling as she does so. The shirt is cute, she thinks, and totally Oikawa’s, depicting a beautiful galaxy with lots of small, cartoon aliens flying around in unique little spaceships. Naturally, it’s far too big for her, but it’s comfortable and it smells like her friend - like safety and Calvin Klein - making her smile softly as she makes her way back out into the living room, where Kuroo and Oikawa are having some kind of drunken debate about science.

The debate is short-lived, however, once the two catch sight of her, Kuroo letting out a strangled laugh as red blossoms over his cheeks, before turning away from her with a hand covering his mouth. Oikawa, stares at her hard, but his twitching lips give him away as he sighs.

“You know, I was going to pretend to be mad at you for stealing my clothes Angel-chan, but you look so damn cute I can’t even attempt it.”

“Don’t know how it’s even possible to look cute in something as attrocious as that top,” Iwaizumi calls from the kitchen with a sly smile and wink her way, before delivering the final blow. “I mean, you certainly don’t look that cute in it Shittykawa... maybe you should just let Yachi keep it.”

“MEAN IWA-CHAN! BAKA!” Oikawa calls with a fake huff, folding his arms in an attempt to hide his own smirk. The damn hedgehog is right though.

A nudge from the right has Yachi turning, nearly coming face to face with Kuroo as he whispers to her, “don’t let him fool you. Iwaizumi is just as bad as the rest of us. He’s trying to tempt you into keeping it so that he doesn’t have to watch Oikawa flounce about in the monstrosity anymore... don’t give in! Though... even I’ll admit you look cute in it Kitten, not sure how you managed to make a top like that look good.” Final statement delivered, he stands up and walks calmly over to help Iwaizumi in the kitchen, not looking back to see how Yachi’s face has turned an alarming shade of beetroot. Oikawa, however, does notice.

“Ohoho! What’s with the red face, Angel-chan, hmmm? What was my dear Cat-san whispering in your ear just now?” He only needs to hear her tiny squeak of embarrassment to know it was some form of compliment... maybe Kuroo isn’t as useless in the realm of romance as he originally thought...

“My my! Though, I’m afraid I must ask you Yachi...” Oikawa says, face taking on a more serious look, though the playful undertone in his voice betrays him, making Yachi sit up a bit straighter, knowing something embarrassing is coming. “I swear I heard Noya-kun mentioning a crush earlier... a crush from your old school. Is this true?” 

Though attempting to be cool and collected, the clattering sound and muffled swear words from the kitchen betray Kuroo’s eavesdropping. Oikawa knows he is playing with fire here, but he can’t help it. Though he would love for his friends to get together, if Yachi has her heart set on another, he would like to help her find her prince or princess charming. 

However, looking at the girl before him, biting on her lip with uncertainty, he already knows the truth, before she reveals it to him herself. 

“No, Oikawa-san,” she says, reverting back to honourifics automatically as she blushes with shame, “I only told Tanaka and Nishinoya that to get Tanaka to stop asking me out...” 

The silence that follows her reveal is deafening, however, to her surprise, it’s a timid voice from the shadows that speaks up in her defence. “Probably for the best, to be honest. You judged him perfectly right off the bat - he would have never left you alone. Pretty sure he still attempts to woo his high school crush once a week, even after 4 years...” The dismissal of her actions calms her nerves. Kenma is the second person tonight to tell her the same thing. Maybe she didn’t do such a bad thing after all.

“Fuck man!” Comes from the kitchen, Iwaizumi entering the living room, followed by a scowling Kuroo with his gaze fixed determinedly on the floor. “I’m gonna have to have another talk with him about this. He can’t go around intimidating or annoying girls into going out with him, that’s not okay.” Turning to face her, placing two cups of tea in front of her on the coffee table, Iwaizumi sits on the floor, a thunderous expression on his face as he tilts her chin up so that she makes direct eye contact with him. “If he continues to bug you about it, you come to me, alright? I’ll sort it. Him, or any other guys on campus that give you any sort of bother, you got that?”

At her gentle nod he smiles, before tapping her knee twice. At her confused head tilt, he manhandles her legs, undoing their crossed position, taking one of her bruised feet into his hands as he begins to knead the skin with his knuckles. 

Oh... my... god.

A faint moan is drawn from her lips, before she squeaks with embarrassment, trying to pull her leg back as the 4 other inhabitants of the room all laugh at her reaction, the underlying tension that had been hanging over them dispersing as Iwaizumi’s deep laughter rings out, the muscled man maintaining his hold on her leg with a firm “I don’t think so.” 

Looking to the others for help, she finds Kuroo smirking at her with kind eyes, whatever had caused his previous foul mood seeming to not concern him anymore. Turning to Oikawa, she sees that her pleas for help are a pointless endeavour as he stares at his boyfriend with barely concealed lust... well she knows what will be happening in their room tonight! 

Settling down into the sofa, she lets herself go and allows her new friend to massage her poor, heel-tortured feet, nerves finally smoothing out. She worried that Oikawa will be jealous, but he and Kuroo both just give her kind smiles, before returning to the scientific debate they were having earlier. With a soft “thank you, Iwaizumi,” and a sip of her green tea, she finally relaxes for the night, the past 24 hours having been... life changing... to say the least.


	14. Karma’s a Bitch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! It’s not a super long one, but it’s an important one!
> 
> Honestly I just wanted to write more Kenma, more HighschoolsquadTM and more smitten Kuroo, so that’s what I did! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this EXTREMELY FLUFFY CHAPTER! 
> 
> I love you all! Xoxo
> 
> (P.S. thank you for all the love and returning readers last chapter, it means so much to me! Eternally grateful for your support)

Yachi would like to say she had the best nights sleep that she could remember in a long time last night... but that simply isn’t the case.

Standing with her hip pressed against the kitchen island, dressed in someone’s - she thinks Bokuto’s, judging by the sheer size of it - grey hoodie, cradling a cup of extra sweetened coffee in an attempt to wake up and get warmer, she can’t help but slightly regret having not gone back to her apartment last night.

It must have been after 2am when the four of them retired to bed - Kenma not coming with, though it is possible that they were already asleep in their cocoon of blankets - and it couldn’t have been more than an hour later when the rest of them stumbled in, making such an awful racket that the neighbours below started to bang on the ceiling, making the floor shake in a truly alarming way. Wanting to go out, but terrified of bumping into Akaashi, Yachi stayed hidden in Kuroo’s room, listening to the rambunctious conversation being held in the living room for the better part of an hour, until Oikawa eventually went out and shouted at them to be quiet because they were ruining his and Iwaizumi’s sex... not a mental image Yachi needed while trying to sleep. 

It was then only four hours later when she found her whole body being squished beneath what had to be a human boulder - for that was all it truly could have been, as no boulder was this squishy, and no human could possibly be this heavy! It turned out to be Bokuto, however, deciding to play a prank on Kuroo by waking him up via suffocation. Needless to say he was very sorry to have hurt Yachi, and then very happy that Yachi was in their apartment... of course with someone as excited as Bo in the same room as you at 8am, there’s really no going back to sleep.

And so here she is! Nursing her coffee and a slight hangover, trying not to freeze to death as the boys try to turn their heating on as little as possible to save money on bills, which Yachi completely gets... her toes just haven’t quite gotten the memo yet. 

An arm slung around her shoulder, accompanied by a head dropping on top of hers with a groan of pain means that Bokuto has managed to pull Kuroo from the depths of the couch.

“Why must I suffer so...” he laments dramatically, reaching over her tiny frame to steal a swig of her coffee, before grimacing and swiftly placing it back within her grasp. “What on earth is that monstrosity?! Surely it can’t be coffee - I’ll have you know that coffee and I have been in a wonderfully beneficial relationship for years now, and not once in my life has she EVER tasted like that!” 

The wrinkling of his forehead makes her giggle, glad to see she isn’t the only one suffering this morning. Feeling a little more confident than usual, she playfully responds, “oh, whatever shall you do?!” With an overdramatic gasp of shock, she raises a hand to her forehead in the visage of a fainting maiden. “How can you possibly continue on in life after such a betrayal by your one true love, Caffiene?” She questions with a final sag, leaning back into his powerful chest with a forlorn sigh, peeking out from behind her hand to give a cheeky wink.

Not used to seeing such a charismatic side to Yachi, Kuroo finds himself thrown for a moment by the theatrics, before giving himself over to a full belly laugh that makes his hangover headache pound ever worse, but gets a sweet giggle out of Yachi, which to be honest, is the miracle cure to all ailments in his book. 

He says as much to a grumbling Oikawa that trudges past in an EXTREMELY FASHIONABLE, HOW DARE YOU KUROO, pink dressing gown with yellow and blue hearts all over it. 

“You got a bad hangover, pal? Just listen to Yachi’s laughter for a minute... honestly clears that headache right up! It’s like getting lots of tiny kisses from angels... or kittens... or both.”

Before she can even process the compliment she was just given, Yachi finds herself in a hot-boy-sandwich. Oikawa squeezing in from the front for a cuddle, whilst Kuroo gives her, what is admittedly, one of the best back hugs she has ever received in her life.

“OHOHO, CUDDLE PILES WITHOUT ME?!” Is all it takes, however, to ruin her small illusion of tranquility as a fisticuffs of flailing limbs ensues, along with a whole lot of swearing, that eventually ends when Iwaizumi hauls her out of the fray by her hood and growls - LITERALLY GROWLS - at the other three for their behaviour. Tugging on her arm, he pulls her further into the kitchen with him, ordering the others to turn on the TV and watch it like well-behaved children. 

Sighing and rubbing his head, Yachi can’t help but be concerned. After giving her a wonderful foot rub last night, and just taking care of her in general, she doesn’t want to cause him any more bother. 

“Are you alright, Iwaizumi? Is there anything I can do?” At this she pauses, looking about the kitchen, when inspiration strikes, “I can make you breakfast! Would you like some breakfast, Iwaizumi? It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me in the past 24 hours!” She finishes, beaming up at him, happy at the idea of being able to do something nice for her new friend.

A look of apparent shock crosses the man’s face, before it softens out into fondness. Where on earth did Kuroo find this girl and why on earth is she so nice to a bunch of miscreants like us? Choosing not to question their luck too much, lest the gods start working against them, Iwaizumi smiles down at the blonde and gives her hair a gentle ruffle, before saying “lets do it together.” 

Pulling out the eggs, bread, bacon and butter, he sets Yachi on bacon duty, asking how she likes her eggs - scrambled - and explaining how each of them like their eggs cooked in a different way. When you live in a flat of eight with none of them being able to cook, someone inevitably has to take up the role of mother hen, Iwaizumi having been the one to step up and learn how to cook. It makes sense to her now why the kitchen seems much more orderly than the rest of the flat, the larger man explaining where everything goes and whose plate is whose - though Yachi can make a pretty educated guess for each of them, the spaceship plate giving itself away.

The two work in tandem with one another until all eight plates are filled, then she begins toting them out to their recipients while Iwaizumi storms the flat to wake up Nishinoya and Tanaka with an aggrivated “if those assholes think they can keep me up until 5am and not suffer along with the rest of us, they have another thing coming!”

Giggling softly she heads over to the loveseat, giving a gentle prod to the blankets, unsure if their previous resident is still there or not, however, after a couple of seconds a small, curious eye peeks out, before emerging all the way after spotting the food.

Smiling gently, Yachi hands over the plate, turning to return to the kitchen, before pausing and turning back. Crouching down onto her haunches, she attempts to make eye contact with Kenma, whose gaze won’t meet hers for more than a second at a time. Putting her back to the room’s other three participants, she gives Kenma’s shoulder a soft squeeze. “I just want to say thank you for letting me stay last night, I really appreciate it and if at any point you want me to go home, just tell Kuroo and I’ll head out. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable in any way...” at this point she pauses, unsure of how much to reveal, before deciding that if anyone would get it, they would. “I know what it’s like to feel like you aren’t welcome in your own flat... my housemate and her friends aren’t very nice to me and I don’t want to EVER make someone else feel the way that they make me feel so.... yeah. Just let Kuroo know and I will see myself out with no bad feelings” she ends, hoping to have gotten her point across. 

A commotion from the corridor makes her jump up and return to the kitchen to quickly deliver the rest of the food into the main room where it seems Oikawa and Bokuto are playing the Wii, Kuroo shouting out - extremely unhelpful, in Yachi’s opinion - advice to Bokuto, who is currently losing a game of table tennis with Oikawa. Setting their plates onto the table and giving a small wave to Tanaka and Noya, who are VERY hungover by the looks of things, she retreats, before bringing Kuroo and her own plates into the lounge, settling down into the seat beside him. 

It doesn’t take long for her plate of food to be almost flung out of her arms by a desperately flailing Bokuto. Clinging to the plate for dear life she sends a glare towards the laughing hyena next to her, who watched her ungracefully save her breakfast from splatting onto the floor without offering any help or assistance. 

Feeling a bit bitter, she slides across the sofa, vindictively sticking her tongue out towards him - only heightening his cackles - before shouting out a “go Oikawa!” With as much forced enthusiasm as she can muster.

Gasps of betrayal follow her anouncement as Bokuto turns his head away from the game to pin her with a look of dismay, in doing so causing Oikawa to win the point with a cry of excitement. Of course, this only makes Bokuto gasps even louder, head twisting at rapid speeds to look between her and the screen, which professes his loss - turns out that point had been the final one of the game. Who knew, she thinks as she smiles smugly down at her food, before stuffing an obnoxiously large forkful into her mouth with a wink towards Oikawa. Karma’s a bitch.

“Damn Bokuto, you and your swinging limbs just lost us the best cheerleader in the room!” Kuroo crows from his side of the sofa, Cheshire cat grin creeping across his face as he watches his bro stare forlornly at the tv, which has now moved on to a replay of Oikawa’s alien Mii winning final point. 

Offended by the statement, Yachi sits up a little straighter, swallowing the big bite of food before indignantly replying, “excuse you! I’ll have you know I’m a Mario Kart pro and could kick your ass any time of day! I’m not some dumb cheerleader waving from the sidelines, thank you very much!” Folding her arms across her chest, she huffs, “should have just cheered for Tsukki’s team yesterday” under her breath, though the man catches it.

Shocked by the outburst, Kuroo finds himself at a loss for what to say - has he truly offended her? Should he apologise? But more importantly - does she HONESTLY think she can beat him at Mario Kart?! Mind still reeling from the plethora of information it was just bombarded with, he hasn’t responded by the time a deadpan voice calls out from the back of the room.

“I’ll take that challenge. Seeing Kuroo get taken down a peg will be the highlight of my day. My bets are on Yachi.”

A moment of silence hangs over the room after Kenma’s declaration, before bets are suddenly being flung about the room as Nishinoya slides across the floor on his knees to retrieve Mario Kart and put it in, ignoring Kuroo’s embarrassed spluttering.

“I bet a weeks worth of cleaning duties that Yachi wins!” Is heard from Oikawa.

“No way, Kuroo’s been playing against Kenma since forever. You’re on Alien Boy.” Is the reply from Tanaka.

Bokuto pipes in, with a “hell yeah! My bro won’t lose to a girl - no offense Yachi,” from the floor where he has been slumped since his defeat, now vibrating with renewed energy.

Very much offended, Yachi pushes her plate out onto the table. These guys think a girl can’t game? I’ll show them. Meeting Iwaizumi’s eyes across the table as she pulls back, she straightens her shoulders out in challenge, meeting his smirk with one of her own - if there is one in life that she is confident in, it’s Mario Kart.

“Whoever bets on the loser has to make the entire flat’s meals for the next two weeks.” Iwaizumi says, voice ringing out. 

His statement once again renders the room’s occupants speechless. Making eye contact with her again he raises an eyebrow in question, to which she nods determinedly, a cheeky smile crossing her face. Theres no way she’s gonna lose. Nodding in return, he turns back to the rooms, before boldly stating, “my bets are on Yachi too,” slamming his fist down onto the table. 

Kuroo’s whines of “betrayal” and “dishonour on your cow” are drowned out by a cacophony of “oooooh”s, the stakes having officially been issued. 

Taking up the Wiimote that Noya hands to her, she feels a calm settle around her shoulders, easing the tension that constantly resides there. This is her shit. Video games are where she dominates, her high school friends knowing from their sleepovers that the girl is incredibly talented. Placing the controller down as the game is still loading up, she quickly runs into Kuroo’s room, ignoring the jeers and shout of “running away already, Yacchan?” that follow her retreating form. Snatching her bag up off the floor, she quickly fishes around for her phone, before dropping the bag and returning to the lounge with her findings. 

Seeing that the game hasn’t started yet, she climbs over the back of the sofa, while opening her contacts, ignorant to the looks of shock she recieves from the boys, Kuroo and Oikawa sharing matching soft smiles, glad that she seems comfortable and happy in their company.

Finding the number she is looking for, she hits call, turning speakerphone on with a cheeky grin towards Kuroo, who tilts his head in confusion at her antics. A couple of rings pass, before a groan flows through the speakers, the rough, but well-known voice of Tsukishima Kei complaining, “Do you have any idea what time it is, Yachi? Why would you do this to me?”

Giggling softly, she apologises, “sorry Kei, but I knew you would want to know... I’m about to play Mario Kart against Kuroo and people are placing bets... you wanna bet anything?” Voice lilting up at the end in question, despite already knowing the answer.

A second passes before a gruff, sleep-filled laugh echoes down the phone. “You’re fucked, Kuroo,” is all he says before hanging up. 

A quiet chuckle from the corner breaks the hush that has fallen over the room at Tsukishima’s declaration, Kuroo, Tanaka, Noya and Bokuto’s faces all slowly draining of colour as they come to the realisation that they will be on cooking duty for the next two weeks. Oikawa falls off the sofa in peals of laughter at this, leaning across the ground to give her a high five, before turning to his boyfriend and pointing at her saying, “that right there? That was a power play,” dissolving once again into a puddle of laughter on the floor, his point having been made.

Her phone buzzing in her lap distracts her as she sees that their highschool group chat has come alive.

Group chat: DONTYOUFORGETABOUTME

ILOVEDINOSAURS: So apparently Yachi has become friends with Kuroo Tetsurou at University and he mistakenly challenged her to Mario Kart. 

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Fucker’s about to get wrecked. 

Amianorange?: Assddhsgdakkh!

Amianorange?: OMG NO WAYYYY

Amianorange?: U KNO KUROOSAN?!

Amianorange?: YACHI REPLYYYYYY

Milky: hw d u no kroo?

Milky: also kik his butt

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Why am I friends with people that can’t even type properly -.-

Amianorange?: U LUV USSSSSS 

Freckles: GO YACHI!! You can do it! :D We believe in you!

Freckles: Also I thought Kuroo-san was supposed to be smart? O.o

Milky: RIP

Smiling down at her phone, she send a quick thank you back and confirms that she will indeed kick his butt. Picking up her controller, she scrolls through the menu and begins selecting her stuff, smiling when she sees that her beautiful King Boo has been unlocked. Selecting her favourite character and her iconic twinkle star bike, she’s all ready to go, pressing A to lock her choices in. 

Turning to the side, she watches Kuroo making his decisions, eyes running over his lithe frame. His head tilts to the right as he flits between two bikes, weighing the pros and cons of each, the light playing across his sharp jawline as he clenches it in indecision. 

Yachi flushes as she catches herself staring - stop being so obvious Hitoka! - turning back to stare determinedly at the screen... maybe she doesn’t have this in the bag after all, she thinks, biting her lip with worry. However, before she can think on it further, a shape to the left catches her eye. 

Turning fully, she watches as Kenma hesitantly walks around the sofa Tanaka, Noya and Bokuto are all play fighting on, waiting for the match to begin. As they walk towards her, they make fleeting eye contact with her and give a small smile, before gesturing to the sofa. 

The “mind if I sit with you?” That comes out of their mouth is so quiet she almost misses it. Jolting like she’s been shocked, she slides to the middle of the sofa, once again pressed against Kuroo’s side as she makes room for Kenma, who gives her another tiny smile and a small “thank you,” in response, settling down into a sea of blankets, before pausing in consideration. Yachi watches them with worry, scared she may have done something wrong - is the seat too hot from where I was sat on it? Do I smell? Am I too close to them? - when they hesitantly lift up a corner of their blanket bundle in offering. 

“Want some?”

What Yachi can only describe as a gush of extreme affection washes over her as she witnesses this tiny creature offering her some of their own comforts, despite having only met her last night. Beaming like the sun on a summers day she happily takes the offered corner of the fleece, joyfully tucking it into her lap, before resting her hands above it, holding the controller with familiar ease.

Screw being distracted by handsome men. Being offered one of Kenma’s blankets? 100% better. 

Snuggling down a little - damn this thing is SOFT - she turns to see Kuroo staring at her and Kenma with wide eyes. Oh shit, did she do something wrong? No, surely she couldn’t have. Choosing not to worry about it, she give him a gentle knock with her shoulder, “you going to pick a kart anytime soon? Not that it matters since you’re gonna lose...” she trails off, sending him a happy smile to show she’s just joking.

Physically shaking himself out of his reverie, he smiles down at her and presses A, not even bothering to look at what kart he’s picked. 

As she sits to attention, pulling away from him to get ready for the race, he can’t help but smile. Kuroo hasn’t really dated... like ever. Sure he’s slept around and had a bit of fun, a date here and there... but nothing that has ever actually meant something. He’s never been in love and he’s okay with that. 

Volleyball and his friends - especially Kenma - have been his loves throughout life. He never wanter nor needed anything else and anyone he did date, he knew that they wouldn’t work - some would say *cough* Oikawa *cough* that he deliberately went out with guys and girls that he knew wouldn’t like his friends or wanted more of his attention than he could give with volleyball taking up such a huge amount of his time, so that he had an excuse not to go further with them. And maybe Oikawa is right, but right now, staring at the small blonde next to him with his best friend’s blanket in her lap... he know that she isn’t someone he can just throw away when he’s done. She’s perfect.

She gets along with his friends and can hold her own, she’s understanding about Kenma’s health and gender - having had a conversation with her a while ago about Kenma’s being non-binary and preferring they/them pronouns, Yachi being totally fine about the whole thing - though she knew nothing about volleyball she sat and listened to him and Oikawa talk about it for over and hour, then came to his game and cheered him on. She’s intelligent and can hold a conversation with him, she doesn’t let his sarcasm and sark throw her off and calls him on his attitude if hes being an ass... what more could he ask for?

Shit...

SHIT!

I FUCKING LIKE YACHI!

AS IN I WANT A RELATIONSHIP WITH YACHI!

Well shit...

Beep... beep... BEEP! 

Pulled from his thoughts due to the race starting, he sends her one final glance. Looking at her silky blonde hair, full pink cheeks and honeydew eyes, he can’t bring himself to regret a single moment in their slow building friendship that has led them to this point. Well... I guess I like Yachi.

That’s a thought for later though, he thinks.

First things first, I’ve got a Mario Kart game to win.


	15. Game On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> I’m sorry that I keep running off for months at a time with no update! Hopefully you all haven’t given up on me and this fic yet!
> 
> The writers block has been real, as well as a serious lack of motivation since I was staying away from all things Haikyuu until season 4 was finished so i could binge it 😄
> 
> But, here I am, back at it again with another chapter. I pray you all like it after such a long wait, fingers crossed you do!
> 
> I’d love to hear from you, be it through comments or kudos, but if thats not your thing its cool :D (also, thank you for over 100 kudos?! Gosh I love you guys) 
> 
> Stay funky my babes XOXO

Kuroo did not win that game of Mario Kart.

Or the next...

Or the next.

In fact, Kuroo didn’t win a single game during Yachi’s entire time at their flat, and yet... he can’t bring himself to be mad about it.

Watching the shy, little blonde slowly come out of her shell with every match won, how the permanent tension in her shoulders seemed to just slip away into nothingness, how she adapted to the lads banter and in jokes, throwing out some absolute zingers of her own... it was more than Kuroo could ever have imagined.

They spent the morning switching between different Wii games as the 8 of them held tournaments, Kenma and Yachi becoming an unstoppable force that was quickly vetoed, because no one stood a chance with the two of them working together. It was terrifying. Two tiny, quiet, blonde creatures absolutely dominating in a room full of muscled athletes... talk about intimidating.

Never in a million years would Kuroo have guessed that Yachi was a gamer, and yet looking back on it now, it all makes so much sense. The escapism, the ability to become whoever you want to be, the isolation and serenity that comes with a long gaming session... So. Much. Sense. 

And he likes it. He’s never once been bothered by Kenma’s introverted ways and habits, so it’s reasonable that he doesn’t mind that Yachi also has some of those traits, but it startles him just how unbothered he is. Maybe it’s because in his past relationships he’s always gone for people that want too much of his time or don’t like his friends... but watching Yachi hold her own and show that she can be independent in her own way, despite her introverted nature... it does things for him.

Like, really good things.

Who knew that THIS was what he needed from a partner? NOT HIM. 

Man is his mother going to be shocked when he bring her home— nope! Not even going to finish that thought, Tetsurou. Its waaaay too early to be thinking like that. Get a grip.

It’s a couple of hours later now and everyone is lounging about. Tanaka, Noya and Bokuto are laughing at the latest Friends episode on the TV, despite having seen it over 10 times before. Oikawa and Iwaizumi are making something in the kitchen that involves a lot of whispers and a lot of squealing that Kuroo wants no knowledge of. And Kuroo? Kuroo is sat barely even pretending to watch Friends as he observes Kenma and Yachi cuddling together under their - now shared - blankets as his best friend teaches Yachi about the wonders of their current favourite game, ‘Stardew Valley’ on their nintendo switch. 

Kuroo knows from past experience, just how protective and possessive Kenma is of their switch, so watching them walk Yachi through the game, explaining things and even letting her play on the console for certain parts... he’s shocked and in awe. Yachi has successfully managed to worm her way into not just his cold, wary heart, but also that of Oikawa who is known for his fake personality - not letting many people in to see the ‘real’ him - and Kenma, who is known for being uncomfortable with almost everyone, still struggling sometimes with the likes of Tanaka and Noya with their boisterous personalities. 

Smiling gently, he rests his head on his hand and is content to observe the two for as long as he can get away with, before Iwaizumi comes to slap him across the back of the head and call him creepy. However, before he is able to enact said punishment, Yachi’s phone begins to belt out the Jurassic Park theme song, the girl jumping in shock, before blushing red and fumbling to answer her phone.

“H-h-hello?” She stutters, hyper aware of the many sets of eyes that have now turned to observe her.

“I take it by the lack of obnoxious noise in the background that you beat everyone so bad at Mario Kart they all had heart attacks and died...” came the smug reply of one Tsukishima Kei.

Laughing at the extremely Kei-like response - not even a welcoming hello, who raised this boy! - Yachi replys in kind, “yep. Currently wrapping them in a rug. You wanna help me hide the bodies?” Giving an eyebrow wriggle that Kei can practically feel through the phone, the boys surrounding her reacting in various ways. Bokuto’s horrified double take at her words has her giggling down the line, before sobering up listening to Kei’s next words. 

“I take it you’re still at theirs then, cool. Akiteru is on his way now to pick you up, he’ll be there in 15. I figured since I’m going back to Uni tomorrow we could spend tonight together... unless you’d rather stay with Kuroo and co...” he finishes, trailing off hesitantly, making Yachi smile with fondness. 

Initiating contact is something that their friendship group has slowly had to train Tsukki to do, the other finding it embarrassing. Though many will not see it, Yachi knows that Kei is extremely insecure, the lanky boy’s personality isn’t exactly welcoming and he knows it. As such, if people didn’t reach out to him, he assumed it was because they didn’t want to see him, which was NOT the case for her, she loves him like a brother. It’s why they started their weekly study sessions at his house, allowing him to hang out with his friends without having to reach out all the time. It was a long process, but eventually the boy understood that they wouldn’t laugh at him or think less of him for wanting to hang out regularly. Even knowing that though, sometimes his worries get the better of him, like they clearly are now. Proud of her friend for reaching out and allowing himself to be vulnerable with her, Yachi doesn’t hesitate to agree.

“Of course I want to see you! Its been like... two months now? Thats two months too long, Kei!” She states, laughing jovially, trying to impress upon him just how much she wishes to see him. Its been a hard two months for her too and honestly? Spending time with someone that she knows and is comfortable with sounds amazing. No offence to Kuroo and his pals, but making friends is tiring. 

A quiet sigh of relief meets her ears, making her feel slightly guilty for coming back to Kuroo’s place last night instead of going with him, though she hadn’t wanted to ruin his night with her panic attack. “Okay, cool. I’ll see you in a bit then.” He says, sounding almost as robotic as Tobio, making Yachi suppress her giggles. “We were planning on ordering pizza, you want your usual?”

“Pineapple, jalepenos and extra cheese!” She all but shouts down the phone. It’s been a while since they have had a pizza party and, while she has a decent allowance from her mother, she tries not to spend it frivolously. 

“Called it,” comes a deep chuckle from down the line, “alright, I’ll let Saeko know, see you soon, Princess.” He says, before hanging up, not bothering to wait for her reply. THAT is a habit they haven’t managed to train him out of yet.

Sighing fondly, she focuses on her surroundings again, having zoned out on the phone, to find everyone looking at her intently. Feeling slightly uncomfortable she slides her phone into the pocket of her (borrowed) hoodie and smiles gingerly.

“Sooo that was Kei... Akiteru is coming to pick me up in 10 minutes to go over there for tea, if thats alright.” She says, hesitantly beginning to remove herself from the blankets wrapped around her body. At the awkward silence that follows, she can’t help but begin to ramble, “you know! Since Kei is one of my oldest friends and all, and I haven’t seen him since University started, plus he said Aki was already on the way and Saeko was ordering the pizzas now, sooo... I guess I had better go get changed back into my clothes from yesterday. Are those still in your bathroom, Iwaizumi-san?” She ends, accidentally adding on the honourific in her nervousness, watching as his brow furrows when he hears it.

“Yeah, yeah. They are still in our room, come on. I’ll take you there then walk you out,” he states gruffly, a clear dismissal. Great, she makes a new friend and is already upsetting him on the second day of knowing eachother. 

Picking herself up off the sofa she quietly follows after him, eyes remaining steadily on the floor, afraid of what she might see on the other’s faces. Annoyance, disgust, disappointment? You don’t just walk out on the people that put you up for the night when they barely even knew you.

But what else could she do?

Lost in her own thoughts, she bumps into the back of Iwaizumi, who has stopped at the doorway to the en-suite. “O-oh! Sorry Iwaizumi-san!” She quickly rushes out, not wanting to upset the elder man further. Skirting around the man, she promptly shuts and locks the door to the room before picking up her folded clothes and sitting on the toilet lid. 

God. Pull it together Yachi, just breathe. You can apologise when you go back out there. This is salvageable.

Pulling herself up with a deep breath, she begins the arduous task of getting back into last nights clothes, the net thigh-highs and leather only enhance her current discomfort. Staring at herself in the mirror, she feels all the confidence she had yesterday melting away. She’s too awkward and too pale, not curvy enough to pull it off. Tugging at the hem of the skirt self-consciously, she looks around the room before her eyes settle onto the hoodie she was wearing earlier. Figuring theres no harm in asking, she gently picks the item up and cautiously opens the door, coming face to face with a stony-looking Iwaizumi.

“I-I-I w-would like to a-apologise, Iwaizumi-san,” she manages to stutter out with a choked breath. “I k-know you took me into your house a-and looked after me, yet here I am vanishing without th-thanking you all... so thank you very much for your kindness and consideration. I-I will not intrude on your space any longer.” Unable to bring herself to ask about the hoodie, feeling thoroughly shamed by her selfishness, she carefully holds out the material, hand shaking slightly as she does, “Im not s-sure who this belongs to, but they have my gratitude for letting me borrow it.” She finishes, tilting her head down to await her judgement.

A gigantic pause sucks all of the air from Yachi’s lungs, before a loud sigh permeates the room, causing her to jump and suck in a greedy lungful of oxygen in surprise. 

A hand on her chin cause her to twitch, before her gaze is forced to meet Iwaizumi’s, a deep, embarrassed flush gracing her cheeks. Soft, gentle eyes meet her own, darkened with worry. 

“Yachi, you don’t have to apologise... we aren’t mad at you. I don’t know what kind of people you have met in the past that have made you feel like such a burden, but having you here has been the highlight of everyone’s week, I’d say.” He comments, chuckling lowly. “You’re welcome here at any time... I know it may not have seemed like it out there, and I can understand why you thought we were upset with you, but everyone is actually upset because youre leaving-“ He breaks off with a belly laugh at her shocked expression, before his face turns soft again. “We get that you have other friends and will want to see them, I just think for us, all of our best friends live in one place...” at this his forehead furrows, trying to figure out how to explain what he means, “we are used to everyone being together all the time... and you fit into the group so well that- well- I think most of us forgot you weren’t a permanent fixture! We all took for granted that you would just... stay! I honestly forgot you had your own home to go back to...” he finished, scratching the back of his neck as his own flush covers his cheeks, to match that on hers.

Oh. Well. This is unexpected.

Unsure what to say, not being the best with words anyways, Yachi allows the overwhelming flood of emotions to lead her into stepping forward and wrapping her arms around the man before her. It doesn’t take long before she feels strong, sure arms, pulling her in closer, cocooning her in warmth and safety. A couple of tears begin to leak out from her eyes as she sniffles awkwardly into his jumper, the other clearly hearing her, but choosing not to comment on it, instead running his hands through her hair in a gentle, soothing motion. 

It takes a while for her to regain her composure, but eventually she manages to pull away with a slight huff. 

“I-I don’t really consider the apartment I’m living in home... my flatmates aren’t very nice, so being here with you guys today...” she pauses, worried about saying to much, but staring at the compassionate eyes of Iwaizumi, she feels safe enough to admit to him... “It’s been amazing! I’ve loved it so, so much! And I want to come over again if you will have me... I just don’t want to overstay my welcome or for you to get sick of me... because I REALLY like you all,” she finishes, biting her lip with indecision, maybe that was too much. 

A soft bump to her chest makes her look down to where her arms have subconsciously wrapped around her middle as if to protect herself from the rejection she feared. Yet, there, pressing against her arms is the hoodie she was wearing before, Iwaizumi nudging it against her again when she doesn’t move to take it from his grasp.

“Wear this home then. Next time you come over, you can steal a different one and when your flatmates are being bitches, just put one on and think of us-“ he cuts himself off, turning away with a wink as he drops the still unclaimed hoodie over her head, causing her to yelp and him to chuckle. Rearranging the hoodie so that she can find the neckhole, she looks over to find Iwaizumi leaning over his desk, writing something. Shrugging it off, she tugs the gigantic piece of clothing over her head, the entire thing falling to mid thigh, covering the skirt entirely, making it look like she isn’t even wearing pants... she honestly isn’t sure if this is more or less decent than what she was wearing before, but it’s certainly more comfortable.

Burrowing her face into the folds of soft material that smell of something clean and masculine - pine needles and citrus maybe? - she takes a calming breath before looking up into the smiling face of Iwaizumi, who is now holding out a piece of paper to her, which she shyly takes. 

“It’s my phone number,” he explains, “incase you ever want to talk, or need someone to tell Tanaka to back off,” he adds with a wink, causing her to burst into a bright smile. 

Another friend, she thinks as he walks her back through the house, pausing at Kuroo’s room to grab her bag. She hasn’t ruined everything. She still has this fragile friendship she’s managed to create, even if it ends up just being the one.

Walking out into the living room with trepidation, she feels calmer than she did before, hoping that the others’ feelings mirror those of Iwaizumi. Shoulders hunches up around her ears, she meets the eyes of her friends whos faces are wearing a varied mixture of emotions.

Opening her mouth to say her goodbyes and quite possibly apologise once more - for what, she doesn’t even know, it’s just second nature at this point - she is cut off by a deep, whining voice.

“Do you reaaaalllly have to go, Yacchan?” Bokuto asks, draping himself over the back of the sofa, giving her a serious case of puppy-dog eyes.

Shocked by the blatant question, Yachi freezes in her tracks, before quietly replying, “you want me to stay?” Hope blossoms within her. Even though Iwaizumi told her the exact same thing, it’s difficult for her to believe, but having it stated so bluntly by Bokuto, there is really no room for misunderstandings.

A cacophony of voices split the air as 5 grown men clamoured to be heard, all shouting variants of “of course,” “don’t be ridiculous,” and even one boisterous “you can stay forever!” From Bokuto. 

Smiling to herself, she quickly pads across the floor to once again envelop her new friends within her arms, Bokuto being the closest as he is now straddling the back of the sofa after having attempted to climb over it, only to be reined in by Oikawa. 

She soon finds her feet leaving the floor as Bokuto manhandles her onto the back of the sofa with him, so that the others have better access to pile onto the “cuddle puddle” as Noya calls it jubilantly, knocking her backwards into sturdy arms. Peering behind her as she feels toned arms wrapping around her waist, she comes face to face with Kuroo, who for once isn’t wearing his typical cheshire-cat grin, but instead a gentle smile, as if he knows exactly what conversation transpired between herself and Iwaizumi.

Giggling at Noya’s antics, her breath catches as Kuroo’s head begins to lower towards hers, before angling to the side, his warm breath caressing her ear as he whispers only for her, “You’re welcome here any time, Kitten. Just say the word. I always want to see you...” he pulls away slightly at that, catching her gaze with sincere, golden eyes that seem to twinkle with something... before speaking louder for the others to hear, “plus I demand a rematch. You have to come back so that I can kick your ass at Mario Kart.”

Laughter bubbles out of her without warning as she looks over Kuroo’s shoulder to see Kenma rolling their eyes. Turning back to the man who has already changed her life for the better, she grins fiercely, determined not to let what she has slip from her grasp as she declares, “game on.”


	16. Did You Just Throw a Sock at Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’m back! This fic isn’t dead yet my babes!
> 
> Hello, I am a terrible human with a terrible schedule, but working during covid AND writing a fic? It’s a lot...
> 
> I am sorry it has taken so long though, please don’t give up on me just yet!
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the chapter - which is pretty much Tsukkiyachi wholesomeness, what’s not to like?! 
> 
> Feel free to kudos and comment (I’ve been loving all of the comments, they make my heart melt and I try to respond to each one!) but if that’s not your thing, I still love you and thank you for reading!
> 
> Fingers crossed you enjoy this fluffy little tidbit and I will see you all next chapter! Xoxo

Leaving the flat took a little longer than expected with lots of hugs - god how long has it been since Yachi has experienced this level of physical contact? Too long - and lots of promises to return. They also made her promise to attend their next volleyball match in a couple weeks time, not that she was tempted to say no, her heartbeat already increasing just thinking about the quickpaced game. Apparently their next game will be played against Oikawa’s ultimate rival, so she has to be there to cheer him on... well, how could she have refused?

Now, 20 minutes later, she is pulling up to Akiteru and Saeko’s apartment building, the older man having grumbled the entire way back about youths and their excessive drinking habits giving him migraines. Taking pity on the man she lets him lean on her as they take the elevator upstairs and once they enter the apartment she quickly gets him a glass of water, to which she earns a gentle hair ruffle and a push towards the hallway, as he calls out, “the guest room is the second door to the left!”

Assuming this is where Tsukishima has stayed for the night she gives a soft knock, waiting for permission, before trying to enter as quietly as possible, not knowing if her friend is suffering from the same conditions as his brother. She feels guilty enough remembering that she woke him up some time before 9am in her competitive, Mario-Kart induced haze.

A quiet snort has her looking up from the floor that she is trying to silently tiptoe across, meeting the eyes of her best friend as he sits on a large bed with sky blue sheets. He’s holding his phone in his lap with a smarmy smirk across his face, obviously in the process of texting something sarcastic. Well-loved headphones are curled around his neck, drawing her attention to it... a neck that has a couple of new additions to it that weren’t there last night.

“What are those?!” Yachi all but screeches, before quickly slapping her hands across her mouth as if to contain her obnoxiously loud outburst in order to spare her friend’s hangover.

By the unimpressed look on his face she hasn’t succeeded.

“What are you on about, Yachi?” Tsukishima asks, rubbing his brow with a wince.

Making sure to maintain a lower volume, she quickly crosses the rest of the room to hop onto the bed. Crossing her legs, she deliberately eyes his neck as she replies, “those. On your neck. Those very obvious hickies, Tsukki! Who even...” she trails off, stunned by the promiscuity of her friend, who as far as she’s aware, is not in a relationship with anyone from her university.

Bright red blossoms across his high cheekbones, making her rethink her analsyis - a crush perhaps? Someone he’s talking to, but not in a relationship with yet? As she tries to think back to the night before, wondering who it could have been, a slapping sound stops her thoughts. Looking up she sees that the blond has flung his hand across his face in embarrassment. Yachi recognises this as his ‘I cant believe I’m about to say something so embarrassing’ pose and decides to quietly wait it out.

After about a minute of contemplation - which feels like a lifetime to Yachi and her anxious nerves - the hand slowly slides down from his face, cold gold meeting molten bronze, before sighing in defeat. Dropping her gaze, he lets his head hang before defensively admitting, “Terushima... It was Terushima, alright?”

What?

Yachi’s brain grounds to a halt as she conjures up blurry memories of the two sat huddled together in the corner of the karaoke booth. Now that she thinks harder, she remembers noticing and wondering if she should intervene, before deciding that Tsukki looked quite content, which is unusual for him... huh. She’s not bothered that it’s a guy - she and Yamaguchi have had their suspicions for a while now - but from the hunched, tense shoulders of her friend, she can tell that she needs to tread carefully.

“That’s cool,” she starts, before wincing at how dismissive that may come across to Tsukki, quickly rerouting and trying again. “I mean, he seemed like a nice guy! He was totally friendly and Kuroo had nothing but nice things to say about him... he was really cool when he played too! There was that one shot he did, where he slammed the ball right from the back of the court into the-“ shit. Wide eyes are staring at her from across the bed as she clearly got a bit off topic. Rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish laugh she decides that less is more and simply asks what she wants to know, “do you like him, Tsukki?”

Once again, hot red flushes across her high school companions skin, the other unable to meet her glance as he tries and fails to snort dismissively, wincing at his own response to the question. That’s a yes then.

“Well,” she says slowly, trying to be more tactful in her response, his discomfort upsetting her, “he seems like a really nice guy and if he makes you happy then that’s all I need to know,” she nods, short and sweet.

The shocked eyes of her friend upset her more than she thought they would - did he honestly think she would mind? Is it because they are both men? Or because he’s got the whole delinquent vibe going on? She doesn’t know, but she’s ready to wait it out, hoping Tsukishima will tell her himself. 

A clear, internal battle wages across Tsukishima’s face before he sighs once again, dropping his hands to his lap. “You... don’t care that he’s a guy... right?” The end of his question lilting upwards hopefully, though his eyes remain firmly trained on his fidgeting fingers.

A little hurt, but knowing it’s his own insecurities making him act this way, rather than that he thinks shes a homophobe - she’s a quietly proud pansexual, thank you very much! - she carefully reaches over to intertwine her fingers with his, effectively stopping his fidgetting.

“I don’t care if he’s bloody Yakuza Tsukki, as long as he makes you happy!” She smiles gently, ducking her head to meet his gaze, before squeezing his hand and joking, “though if he is, you may need to rethink your taste in men.” 

A relieved laugh pushes past her friends lips as he slowly straightens back up with a wince. It’s not often that her friend has bad posture, always standing tall and proud, realising that he was slumped in fear of rejection from her, tugs at her heartstrings and she is unable to stop from throwing herself at him, the two tumbling backwards onto the bed.

“Honestly!” She mumbles into his neck, where her head is now buried in order to hide her teary eyes, “Kageyama is ace, Yamaguchi is bi, Hinata and I are both pansexual... who on earth would we be to judge you?” She pulls back now with a sniffle, before determinedly looking into her friends eyes, “we love you for you, salty personality and all. Do you honestly think that you liking guys would be what pushed us away? It took us so long to break down those walls of yours... we’re here to stay. All of us.”

For a second her friend looks like hes going to cry, before snorting and rolling them both onto their sides, Yachi falling to the covers with a soft “oof!” Curling himself around her, he softly apologises, “sorry,” before closing his eyes and snuggling into her. 

Contentment. That’s what he’s feeling right now, she thinks, smiling to herself and burrowing forwards to get as close to her friend as possible. They used to lie like this all the time back in highschool. Whenever they would get their grades back and find out they did well, the two would head to his house and just flop onto his bed with a sigh, releasing all of the tension they felt, both of them having a lot of pressure on them to do well in school - Tsukki’s from himself and Yachi’s from her mother. Lying like this was their reward for doing something good. Allowing themselves to feel content and proud, basking in the silence while keeping eachother company.

She doesn’t know how long they lie there for, before Saeko’s abrupt shouts ruin the atmosphere, calling to inform them that the pizza has arrived. 

Heaving themselves out of bed with tired, but happy smiles, they trudge into the kitchen, Yachi laughing at the scene infront of them. Pizza covers every available surface as Saeko dances round the kitchen table, singing along to Taylor Swift of all artists, while Akiteru groans from the floor under the table, long limbs wrapped around his head as if to protect himself from the onslaught of Saeko’s atrocious singing.

Giggling, Yachi pulls out the two chairs closest to her and tugs on his arms, getting a glare in return, before he realises that it’s Yachi, not his demon girlfriend, and clambers out from his hiding place. Thumping into the closest chair, Yachi does a quick scan of the pizzas, before finding his signature mushroom, pepperoni and red onion pizza, placing it in front of his, before dashing off to get him another glass of water. 

Once she settles it onto the table she finds her own and plonks down next to him with a happy hum. She hasn’t eaten anything since breakfast and its now - with a quick glance to the clock - 6:30pm, jeez! Thank goodness it’s Saturday, because her assignment for Monday isn’t going to write itself. Thinking about going back to uni on Monday makes her turn to look at her friend, who will be leaving in the morning for his own. A friend who just admitted something to her that took a lot of bravery. Frowning to herself, she comes to her own conclusion and decides that if her friend can be brave, then so can she.

Compared to the start of the meal, the rest of it passes with relative ease, Saeko making small talk and asking Yachi about how her course is going, as well as talking about her hairdressing business. The older woman even going so far as to offer to cut her hair for free next time she needs it.

“We’re family now, Toka-chan! Akiteru explained how he knew you last night and that your like a sister to him and Tsukki, which means you’re now my little sister too! So if you ever need anything, our flat is always open to you.”

Overwhelmed and grateful, Yachi can only nod shyly, with a small “thank you” before continuing to eat her pizza, amazed by the generosity she has been shown over the past 48 hours by a bunch of near strangers. 

Once the pizza is eaten and the dishes done, Tsukki and Yachi retire back to his bedroom, Tsukki climbing back onto the bed while Yachi hangs back, fingers clinging to the edge of her borrowed hoodie for strength, before blurting out her own secret.

“I like Kuroo-san!” She all but shouts, face red, but determinedly held high to meet the gaze of her best friend who she has shocked into silence.

Wide eyes meet hers as a barely perceivable, “what?” Meets her ears.

Pulling herself up taller, she says it again with more conviction, “I like Kuroo-san!”

The silence that follows is deafening, before Tsukishima finally gets a hold of himself, sending her a cocky smirk, “well, if anyone would be able to tie him down, it would be you I guess,” turning to sit on the bed and give her his full attention, “why him, though?”

Startled by how quickly the blond seems to have accepted her confession, she quickly moved over to the bed too, gingerly sitting before him while trying to formulate her thoughts... why do I like Kuroo? The answers come to her quickly, without hesitation.

“Because he is kind,” She states, daring her friend to contradict her. “Because he gave me a safe space when I didn’t have one. Because he held me when I cried and didn’t think I was weak for it. Because he’s seen me have a panic attack and instead of thinking less of me for it he sat with me and then took care of me. Because he introduced me to his friends and has given me a family here that I didn’t know I needed. Because underneath everything - the jokes, the sarcasm, the leering - he is the kindest person I have ever met,” she finishes, panting slightly at the end of her rant, meeting the proud, fierce gaze of her friend.

“Not many people get to see that side of him, Hitoka,” Tsukki says, with a pinched brow and fire in his eyes, “if he has let you see that side of him then he must care about you too...” with this the pinched expression disappears, morphing into one of satisfaction and knowing. “You’ve managed to worm your way past his defences, I’m proud of you.”

“Proud... of... me?”

“Yes. I met Kuroo in first year. He, Bokuto and Akaashi all took me under their wing... it was the most infuriating thing, “he says, with a chuckle, “I couldn’t understand why he kept seeking me out - why he wouldn’t just leave me alone, when he could see I didn’t want to be there... but that’s exactly it, Yachi. I didn’t want to be there, and he knew that. So he recruited his friends and tried his hardest to make me love volleyball, to teach me and give me the skills I would need in order to love volleyball... and it worked. It was thanks to what he taught me, that I was able to shut Ushijima down and get us to nationals in first year. It’s because of him that I got hooked on volleyball.

“Kuroo is a good guy, and if he decides to let you in then you’re set with a friend for life - god knows I haven’t been able to escape from them in the past 3 years,” he laughs, eyes fiery and passionate in a way that Yachi has only ever seen a couple of times over the years. “He could be good for you... though I can’t say I’m not surprised, I would have thought his badboy vibes would have terrified you,” he jokes, though his face belies the seriousness behind the unspoken question.

“He did... at first,” Yachi admits, twisting the ends of her hair between her fingers as she thinks back to their first encounter at the library, a soft smile gracing her face as she remembers it now, “but when I asked if I could sit at his table because I was having a bad mental health day, he let me. A lot of people wouldn’t have. There were plenty of other empty tables I could have sat at... but once I admitted to not wanting to sit out there he didn’t question it, just gave me a knowing smile and left me to my own devices. He didn’t have to do that, or any of the kind things he’s done for me since...” trailing off she smiles at her friend, knowing just how lovesick she’s probably coming across, but not caring. She’s allowed to have this.

“Well then, go and confess.”

“WHAT?!” She screeches, mind dissolving into panic - she’s not ready to confess yet! She’s only just come to this realisation herself!

Sniggering break up her thoughts as she looks over to see Tsukki laughing behind his hand. Oh, that was harsh. “Meanie!” She shouts, flinging the closest thing to her at him - which is apparently a sock - watching as he splutters and flails, trying to knock the item away, causing her to also dissolve into giggles. 

With a disgusted glance towards the offending sock that now sits on the pillow beside him, he sarks, “did you just throw a sock at me? A sock, Toka? Really? Because that’s gonna do so much damage-“ he cuts off as Yachi pushes him backwards, still laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“Ugh, why did you do that.” He grumbles, before steadily meeting her eyes, “in all seriousness though, do you want a relationship with him?”

She hums, thinking the question over for a moment, before nodding. “Yeah, I do. Not right now, I think we still need to get to know eachother better... but in the future, yes.”

“Well then, I guess you just need to continue as normal,” Tsukki comments, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “when will you be seeing him next?”

“I don’t know, we don’t really plan it..? We tend to just bump into eachother at the library and go from there,” she says, before pausing as she remembers the promise she made to them earlier, “although! There is another volleyball match 3 weeks from now! I promised them that I would be there, that’s something planned!” She says, grinning now, knowing she has something to look forward to and a definite date for when she will see him next, “apparently it’s going to be against Oikawa’s high school rival? Which is good I guess, since at least this time I will know which team to cheer for.”

A slow grin crosses Tsukki’s face at that, not dissimilar to Kuroo’s cheshire cat grin. “They will be playing against Ushijima, huh?”

“I guess so... Oikawa didn’t mention him by name... isn’t that the guy you just mentioned? The one you beat to go to nationals? Is he really that good?”

“Oh, he is. He’s one of the best, but that’s not going to be the problem for you, Toka.”

“W-what?” She stammers, wary of the look on her friends face, “what’s wrong?”

“Yamaguchi plays on the same team as Ushijima. You’re gonna have to divide your loyalties again - and you know Yamaguchi will expect you to be cheering for him. Imagine his face when he looks up, only to see you cheering for Kuroo-san...”

All the colour drains from Yachi’s face as she pictures it. Oh no... not again!


	17. We. Us. A Family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... oops?
> 
> Okay, so this was SUPPOSED to be 2000 words of filler and chiller, which instead became 4000 words of angst and backstory?! 
> 
> I’m sorry! I’m trying to go easy on the angst, but it’s just not happening. I’m sorry for making you suffer, my sweet Yacchan!
> 
> Also, uploading two weeks in a row - who am I? Hope you all enjoy this chapter, I hadn’t been planning on revealing this backstory this chapter, but it just seemed to flow? Let me know what you think - is this what you were expecting?
> 
> ALSO also, I’ve been making a spotify playlist as I go along - filled with songs from the fic, songs that remind me of certain characters and songs that I listen to/ take inspiration from whilst writing - and I was wondering if that is something you guys would be interested in me sharing a link to at some point? Let me know in the comments! 
> 
> I think that’s all I’ve got to say this time around, sorry for the long notes guys. As usual I would love for you to kudos if you like it and to hear from you in the comments, but if that’s not you style no worries, we are easy breezy over here!
> 
> Enjoy your stay, and enjoy the read, love you all! Xoxo
> 
> P.S this fic is now over 50,000 words, AHH!

Saying goodbye to Tskuishima the next morning was bittersweet for Yachi. The two stayed up all night talking, catching up and listening to music, Tsukki unable to stop himself from teasing his tiny friend about her crush on the bedheaded man, while Yachi kindly offered up her flat as somewhere to stay, should he wish to come and visit Terushima without his brother knowing - they both know Akiteru means well, but can be a bit... overbearing.

Going back to her shared flat, after a weekend spent full of laughter and relaxation with friends was difficult, but aside from a snarky, “where have you been?” and dismissive, “there’s no shampoo left, by the way,” Yachi was able to retreat to her room without incident, finally getting started on her project due in the next day.

Heading into uni on Monday, however, didn’t go as smoothly, since apparently everyone and their dogs must have figured out that she’d had a good weekend and left her work till the last minute, because the amount of projects, essays and art submissions she suddenly received - all due within the next 2 weeks - was atrocious! Which is why she sequesters herself away into the little library alcove, barely leaving for food or sleep, hardly touching her phone.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise then, that 4 days into her self-isolation she finds herself suddenly sandwiched - more like squished! - between two, warm bodies on the seating booth. Jumping, startled out of her coffee-induced workathon, Yachi looks up to see two extremely handsome faces smirking down at her, both with slightly tense edges belying their worry, the grins not sitting on their faces as naturally as they normally would.

A sigh leaves Kuroo’s mouth, before he drops the smirk entirely, head falling to rest on top of hers as he slouches further into her. “In the damn library all this time,” he mutters, turning to gently rub his face against her hair, inhaling her soft, raspberry scent.

Unsure fully what’s going on, Yachi hesitantly removed her headphones, before turning to Oikawa for assistance, worried by the look she spotted on Kuroo’s face, before he firmly buried it into her hair. “H-hey guys... what’s up? How’s your week been?”

At this the smirk also drops from Oikawa’s face, the deadpan look left behind causing Yachi to cower back, pressing further into Kuroo’s body, who wraps an arm around her waist in return. 

“Hey guys? That’s all we get?” Oikawa questions, voice raising slightly higher and louder than normal, taking on an almost hysterical edge. “Have you even bothered to check your phone this week, Yachi?” He asks with a dangerous glint in his eyes that causes Yachi’s stomach to turn unpleasantly. This isn’t a side of Oikawa that she’s seen before.

“I-I-I’ve had it on silent in my bag,” she stutters, turning away from the fierce look in her friends eyes, unable to continue talking while maintaining eye contact with him. “I’ve been trying not to look at it because on monday I got given 6 assignments that are all due in over the next...” she pauses, doing a quick mental calculation - is it Thursday today? - before continuing, “10 days. The first two of which are due in tomorrow so... I can’t really afford to be distracted right now,” she finishes, voice dropping down into a whisper as saying it out loud triggers an anxiety response within her, her legs and hands beginning to shake with the need to continue doing her work.

Silence reigns for a minute or so, Yachi’s fidgeting only worsening as she waits for her friend’s response, trying desperately not to reach out and finish her work. 

A deep sigh permeates the air, though not from her right like she anticipates, rather from above her, causing her hair to flutter.

“Give it a rest, Oikawa,” comes the gruff response from above her, “she has assignments and obviously wasn’t ignoring us on purpose.”

“Ignoring you?!” Yachi manages to splutter, finally regaining eye contact with Oikawa in her shock. “I would never do that! I’ve just been really stressed and really busy trying to organise everything I have to do and since a lot of it is art... it’s not exactly a short process,” she finishes wide-eyed, hands making exaggerated, aborted movements in their quest to express her sincerity. Ignore them?! Why would she ignore the few friends she has at university?

Oikawa’s glaring continues for a moment, eyes crinkling into a deep squint as he seems to search her for something, before all the tension finally releases from his body. Head dropping down, the man finally breaks the intense eye contact, flopping back onto the booth behind him, mumbling, “check your phone, Yachi.”

The use of her last name and not one of the cute nicknames she has become accustomed to from Oikawa has her frantically searching through her bag to find her phone somewhere near the bottom. Unlocking it she winces. 7% battery. She had better put that on to charge. It’s then that her eyes actually take in what’s going on on the screen, widening in shock as she lets out a gasp.

Notifications upon notifications. Snapchats and messages and texts and emails - how did they even get her email? - are all she can see, scrolling down her notification centre. Going to snapchat first, she has over 10 minutes of snapchats waiting from Bokuto, and 3 minutes each from Tanaka and Noya, along with a couple from Oikawa and Kuroo. The facebook messages are just as bad. A quick scan shows over 20 unopened messages - she doesn’t even talk to over 20 people on a weekly basis! Facebook shows friend requests from people she doesn’t even know, all with mutual friends in Kuroo and his group. She doesn’t even bother to look at her texts, turning her head to the side to ask a quiet, “what is this?”

“What is this?” Oikawa snorts, “this is us caring about you. This is us worrying that we scared you off after spending the weekend with us and how we reacted to you leaving. Then this is us wondering if something has happened with your flatmates - which Kenma said you didn’t seem all that close to - THEN this is us thinking that something has genuinely happened to you and none of us know where you live or who your family are. We got in contact with Tsukishima and Hinata and even - ugh - EVEN TOBIO-KUN! You don’t understand just how much I care about you to willingly message that boy... BUT we heard nothing. From the moment you left the flat its been radio silence! So what is this, you ask me?! IT’S US CARING ABOUT YOU!” He finishes, panting heavily as he opens and closes his fist on the table, the arms around her waist having tightened significantly in agreement.

Shit, Yachi thinks, quickly looking down as tears begin to form in her eyes. Is this how she loses them? Over something as stupid as a couple of assignment? All because she can’t handle the pressure her mother puts onto her to do well - and for what? To lose the first PROPER family she has found? Lost in her own mind, she stares despondently at the tears that are dropping from her eyes and landing on the arms around her middle. What can she even say? He’s right. She doesn’t deserve them. But they DO deserve an explanation.

Tilting her head up she stares into Oikawa’s eyes, face crumpling as she loses herself in her grief, knowing that this is it. This is when she loses them, only a short month after meeting them. Why does it hurt so much, when it’s only been a short while? She knows the answer though - because she’s about to lose the first family she’s ever had that ACTUALLY cared about her. 

“I’m sorry.” She cries, staring imploringly into Oikawa’s horrified face, “I’m so so sorry. I just-” she pauses, not wanting to make excuses, but they deserve to know, “I NEED to do well. My mother doesn’t care about me. She never has. My dad left her when he found out she was pregnant and I’ve never met him. My mam blames me for it. I’ve always been just a girl that happened to live with her, rather than her daughter, you know? We have never been a proper family... not like you guys are to eachother.

“She’s an artist - you remember me telling you that? - she loves art, it’s her passion... so I guess when I was little I thought, ‘hey! Maybe if I get better at art like my mam, she will notice me and realise that I’m like her and we have things in common and she will start to pay more attention to me’... but that’s not the case. She resents it. Any art I make isn’t good enough, and neither are any other grades I get. If I got an A in art, it was always ‘why haven’t you gotten an A in everything else?’ I couldn’t win, so I left art behind. I focused on my grades, let my art drop off and tried to be a good student - a good daughter... but something was missing. 

“It was actually Hinata that convinced me to start doing art again. He said if drawing was too difficult for me, why not get one of those fancy tablets and do it on the computer instead? Make my art something that isn’t related to her. Something that is completely mine and I can have pride in... so thats what I did! Slowly, but surely I grew to love art again and I decided to do it for my degree at University, even coming back to Tokyo after everything that happened, because it has one of the best art programmes in Japan! But, when I told my mam that’s what I was going to do... she insisted that I take Graphic Design instead because she ‘doesn’t want me riding on the coattails of her success’,” Yachi frowns at this, creating air-quotes with her fingers, before continuing in a more aggressive tone, tears still streaking down her face.

“She said my regular art would never make it and that I would be better doing something that... requires less skill. Said that she wouldn’t give me any money if I continued to pursue Fine Art - and I know she’s had a Univesity fund for me from my grandparents since I was 15 - so I agreed to do Graphics instead. I wouldn’t even be able to GO to University if I didn’t have that money... which is why it’s so important that I do well. You see, her other condition was that I get good grades - lest I spoil her good name - and if they drop below what she thinks is acceptable, the money stops. 

“So, naturally, when I got to Uni on monday and found myself with 6 assignments due in over the next two weeks, I kind of panicked and hid in the library. I’ve barely slept or eaten, I’m exhausted, I’ve hardly even attended my lectures and seminars because I don’t have time to go to them AND do my assignments, I’m running out of art supplies, but I don’t have time to go and get more,” she pauses, sucking in a big lungful of air, aware of her voice rising in volume and pitch as her panic swells. Holding the oxygen in her lungs for a couple of beats, she lets it out slowly, grounding herself in the feeling of secure arms around her waist, holding, but not squeezing her. She wilts, finally out of steam as she softly continues.

“I’m not trying to make excuses, and I understand if you don’t forgive me, but PLEASE know that it was never my intention to ignore any of you and I’m sorry that I worried you... it’s just been a lot to deal with,” she whispers, folding in on herself as she awaits their response, completely drained, her exhaustion hitting her like a brick. 

Silence envelopes her, Yachi not even feeling the urge to do her work anymore. What’s the point? She’s just a waste of space. A useless disappointment to everyone— 

“That FUCKING BITCH!” Oikawa hisses, absolutely seething, causing Yachi’s head to bounce up in shock, knocking away the one above her, drawing his attention. His face slackens slightly, seeing her worried expression.

“I’m not mad at you, Yachhan. I’m mad at HER for making you think you can’t reach out to us - like you should EVER have to choose between your family and your University work. I’m mad at your grandparents for putting her in charge of that money, when she clearly has no regard for you as her daughter. I’m mad at your father for walking out on the best thing that would have ever happened to him AND I’m mad at us! For coming in here half-cocked and ready for a fight, when we should have known better!”

Kuroo’s mumbled, “dude, the only one looking for a fight was you, I was just worried about Yachi,” takes the wind out of Oikawa’s sails, the older male slumping forwards in contrition, reaching out to swipe at the tear tracks on her cheeks.

“Shit,” he murmurs, “I’m sorry for making you cry, Angel-chan. I didn’t mean to, I was just upset. I missed you. We were worried that we had scared you off... fuck man!” He cries suddenly, running a hand through his hair, which she now notes is not in it’s usual styled perfection, but rather a state of disarray. “Family is a choice! Fuck your mam for doing that to you and not being mature enough to see that her shitty decision in bed partners is not your fault! You’re our family now Yachi, and we will take damn good care of you if you will let us! You’re not the only one who knows what it’s like to have a shitty relationship with their parents...

“My mam and dad chucked me out and disowned me when they found out I was gay and going out with Iwaizumi. My older sister took me in, despite having a 7 year old son of her own to raise and I lived with her till I came to uni, still go to visit them every month - and I’m not saying this for sympathy or anything, I’m over it. I’m saying this because you’re not alone. I get it - WE get it - and we will be the family you never had if you let us.” He finishes, fire burning bright in his chocolate eyes.

Yachi is frozen in shock for a second, before she tears away from the arms around her middle, flinging herself onto Oikawa with more force than a body her size should be able to conjure. 

“It’s their loss too,” she whispers, burrowing her head into the crook of his neck. “You’re absolutely amazing and if they couldn’t see that past your preference in genders, you’re better off without them.” She pulls away with a sniffle, placing her hands onto his face, cupping his cheeks, “I would be honoured to be a part of your family, Tooru,” she confesses, using his first name like she so rarely does, “I already considered you my family, but I didn’t know if you felt the same—”

“I do! We do!” Bursts out of his mouth, echoing in the near silent library, causing them both to wince, Yachi letting out a small giggle, reducing the tension as Oikawa tries again with a quieter voice, “we do consider you family, all of us. Hell, even Kenma does, and they dislike almost everyone. If Kennie thinks you’re a good egg, then a good egg you shall be!” 

Giggling once more at the comparison of Kenma to an egg, Yachi releases her hold on the model, slipping backwards with an awkward scratch to the back of her neck, finally noticing just how compromising they previous position had been. She doesn’t get very far, before strong arms are around her waist again, pulling her backwards, flush against a firm body.

Had it been any other day, Yachi knows she would have been blushing bright red at the interaction, however, as it stands she can’t bring herself to be embarrassed, instead basking in the affection and comfort brought to her by Kuroo’s presence.

“Well, thats good to know. So... you really aren’t mad at me?” She asks.

“No Kitten,” Kuroo finally speaks up, having been too emotional during her confession to risk saying anything, lest her upset her, choosing instead to selfishly draw comfort from his arms around her, knowing that if she were in her right mind she wouldn’t want him touching her in such a way. As it stand though, they both need the closeness and he’s not strong enough to pull away - letting her go to hug Oikawa was difficult enough. “We aren’t mad at you. A little upset that you didn’t check your messages, but things make a lot more sense now. We’ll need to find some sort of cover story to tell the others though—”

“You can tell them,” she says, turning her head up to meet his golden eyes. “I don’t mind. I trust them, I just don’t wan’t to go over it again if that’s alright?”

“That’s fine, Kitten. You don’t have to say or do anything you don’t want to. Oikawa and I will find a way to explain everything to them - though I will warn you now, expect Bokuto to be clingy.”

“Ooh yeah,” Oikawa pipes up, “when he found out about what my parents did to me he got SUPER protective. It’s like he’s a gentle puppy all the time until a member of his pack gets hurt, then he turns into the ultimate guard dog. When we tell him about your mam, expect a whole lot of messages and visits.”

“Mmm that’s fine, I guess,” Yachi says, tilting her head in contemplation. No one has ever really been protective of her like that before - she thinks her high school friends would be, but they’ve all met her mother before and are used to her behaviour, so it doesn’t really get to them anymore... “Honestly, some company would be nice. I figured one of you guys would wander down here and find me at some point anyways. As long as you aren’t too loud or distracting, some company to help keep me awake would be nice,” she says, punctuating her statement with a yawn.

Oikawa rolls his eyes so hard it’s a miracle they don’t fly off his face and launch themselves into space. “You know all you had to do to get some company was message us, right? Like, not even all of us. Just one. Any one of us would have come running if you had asked...”

“I-I guess so,” Yachi stutters, because no, she hadn’t actually known that - and the boys can tell.

Kuroo snorts, before burrowing his head into her hair again with what she thinks is a muffled “adorable” but she can’t be sure. Probably not.

“No. No, you clearly don’t know Yachi.” Oikawa sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, “well, I’m telling you now - you can. Next time something like this happens, contact us, okay?” He asks, waiting for Yachi to nod in agreement, before straightening his spine and adorning his first real smile since entering the library. “Okay. You have two assignments due tomorrow, you said? And you’re running out of art supplies... hmmm. What’s your address, Yacchan?”

Boggled by the out of the blue question, Yachi stutters her way through her address. She opens her mouth to ask why he wants to know, but his quickly bulldozed over by Oikawa’s perky voice. 

“Right then! What projects have you got for tomorrow and what can we do to help?”

Help?

“What do you mean help?” Yachi asks, genuinely confused. He cant possibly mean—

“We’re going to help you, of course! I mean, I personally don’t have an artistic bone in my body, but I can help with essays or referencing or researching if you need that. Kuroo is much better at art than I am, so feel free to put him to work. We aren’t leaving until these assignments are handed in and we have walked you home to ensure you get a decent nights sleep. Do you have any lectures tomorrow you need to get up for?”

“Erm... no?” Yachi answers, having to think about it for a minute, her timetable not being something she is particularly concerned with at the moment anyways. “No, I don’t, but my next two assignments are due on monday, so I will have to work on them over the weekend.”

“I see,” Oikawa hums thoughtfully, before pulling out his phone and beginning to type something. As he does so it pings, causing his eyes to widen and a small smile to appear. Quickly typing a reply, he shuts it down, giving Yachi his undivided attention. “That was Iwa-chan. He’s not very happy that he gave you his number on saturday and you haven’t used it yet, or that you haven’t accepted his friend request on facebook. He may seem like an angry hedgehog, but he’s actually very caring and was really worried about you,” at this his face takes on a softer, more serious look. “We all were Yachi. We really thought something terrible had happened and we had no way of contacting you. Kenma had to hack the University student system to get your email address for us... 

“I know that all sounds a bit dramatic, but our group has a bad habit of getting into trouble and involved in things we shouldn’t. So if someone goes awol for more than two days, it typically means that we should start panicking and phoning up police stations to see who has been detained recently,” he laughs at this, raking a hand through his hair - Yachi is going to need to ask more about that later - before continuing, “so while our messages and stuff may seem over the top to you, it was all we knew how to do. Next time we will try to stay calmer and remember that you are an angel, not a criminal like the bunch of miscreants you have managed to befriend.”

The snort from above her head makes her hope that Oikawa is exaggerating, but that hope is quickly quashed by Kuroo’s flippant, “true dat.”

“Now that THAT little confession is out of the way,” Oikawa says with a wink in her direction, the atmosphere feeling the most normal it has all night, (and doesn’t that say something about their friendship), “why don’t we get this artistic show on the road? Kuroo stop cuddling the girl and grab a pencil, we have two assignments due in tomorrow, don’t you know?!”

‘We’ Yachi thinks, brain catching on the word. It’s now ‘their’ assignments instead of hers, her friends seeing the pressure she’s under and automatically moving to help distribute work - to share the burden between them. 

We. Us. A Family.


	18. I Only Left Tokyo Two Days Ago And They’ve Already Lost Yachi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wasn’t planning on doing this - and really it’s a terrible ideas because my writing juices will stop flowing at some point and I will wish I had spare chapters saved - but the next chapter ended up being too long and disjointed, so I split it into two!
> 
> I’m back in love with this story and my boys and the motivation is HERE so Imma make the most of it!
> 
> Also I would like to dedicate this chapter to ‘realityislemons’ who has been with me since my very first chapter! I always look forward to reading your comments and seeing what you think - you inspire me to keep writing, so thank you random stranger on the internet <3
> 
> Here’s a short and sweet little filler chapter of Yachi checking her notifications once she gets home...
> 
> I hope you all like it and arent mad at me for not waiting till sunday to upload like a sensible person! ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌
> 
> I love you all, enjoy! Xoxo

It’s some time just after midnight when she, Oikawa and Kuroo submit the assignments, tension finally releasing from Yachi’s tiny form. They share a quiet ten minutes together before Yachi’s eyelids start to droop and the boys decide it’s finally time for some well-earned sleep.

The two walk her home and make her promise to eat some food before she sleeps, the three hovering outside her building until the uber Oikawa called picks them up and they disappear into the night.

Stumbling inside, Yachi catches a glance of herself in the mirror in the hallway and does a double take. Wowzers... she’s a hot mess. Hair limp and straggly, cheeks blotchy, a couple of pimples brewing underneath her skin and eye bags for days - lets just say it’s not her finest hour.

Oh god... Kuroo saw me like this!

The panic threatens to disrupt the sleepy haze Yachi has fallen into, but slowly dissipates the longer she spends thinking about it. Kuroo won’t care - and hey! If he’s seen her looking like this and will still wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her hair, then shes doing okay for herself! Looks don’t really seem like a priority for the older student... I mean, look at his hair.

Stumbling away from the mirror and into the kitchen, Yachi fixes herself some toast and jam, before steeling herself to do what she has been dreading all night... check her phone.

Pulling her phone out of her back pocket - where she put it after charging it back up on her laptop - she winces, unlocking it. Alright, ‘Toka... start with the easy stuff first: snapchats.

The 10 minutes worth of snapchats from Bokuto are fairly harmless, lots of his and the guys antics, making her giggle. Theres a particularly impressive video of Noya doing a super complicated yoga pose balancing on the back of the sofa, body being held up by only one arm. The closer she gets to the end the more frequently the messages seem to be about where she is and what shes doing, but overall it’s pretty harmless - not a bad start. 

Similarly, the snaps from Noya and Tanaka are full of shenanigans, including some cheeky snaps at what appears to be volleyball practice. Bokuto and Kuroo never snapchat her in practice, claiming that coach doesn’t allow them to bring their phones out with them after too many ended up broken. She wonders why Tanaka has his then... oh. Angry shouts and hyena cackles filter out through her phone speakers as she watches an older man march towards the screen before the video cuts off with a yelp. Giggling to herself, Yachi flicks through the few other notifications she has on the app before exiting out of it. 

Not bad, she thinks, debating between instagram and facebook, before hopping onto instagram. A few follow requests and a couple of dms await her; she accepts the ones from Terushima, Iwaizumi and Saeko, flicking through the list quickly, before shutting down the app after not recognising any of the other names.

Facebook is worse. 

12 friend requests stare her in the face, along with 23 unopened message notifications. Sighing out in resignation, Yachi accepts her fate and begins trawling through the profiles. She once again accepts Iwaizumi, Terushima and Saeko’s requests, along with the ones from Asahi, Daichi, Yaku, and Tendou who she remembers from the match and karaoke. She doesn’t recognise any of the other names, but sees that they are all mutual friends with the volleyball guys... did they really recruit this many people to find me? She thinks, baffled by the lengths they would apparently go to make she she’s okay.

Feeling guilty for having gotten strangers involved, she hesitates for a moment, before accepting all of the new friend requests. There’s a couple called Hanamaki and Mastukawa who have matching cover photos of them with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, their bios stating they went to the same high school. The other three also went to the same school as eachother, but it’s not Aoba Johsai they attended... it’s Karasuno.

The first one is a simple looking guy called Ennoshita who she can’t remember ever seeing, but seems pleasant enough, even having a couple of photos with Hinata and Yamaguchi. The second is an angelic man with grey hair and a mole under his eye called Sugawara, who is apparently in a relationship with Daichi. She doesn’t recognise him either.

The third, however, she does recognise. 

Kiyoko Shimizu.

Yachi stares at the request for a long time before finally accepting, only hyperventilating slightly. The prettiest, most popular, coolest girl in Karasuno just sent her a friend request. Holy shit. 

AND she has a message from her!

Flailing in panic, Yachi sends her phone clattering across the table, barely managing to catch it with the heel of her palm before it goes crashing to the floor. Sighing in relief, she turns it over only to drop it again with a squeak. She accidentally clicked on the messages when saving her phone.

Message chat: Kiyoko Shimizu.

Kiyoko: Hello there Yachi-san, my name is Kiyoko Shimizu. I am a friend of Tanaka-san and Nishinoya-san. The two are quite worried about you as they haven’t heard from you in some time. I am sure everything is alright, but if you could message them to ease their worries I would be grateful. I hope you are doing well. X

...

Oh. My. God.

A kiss! Kiyoko Shimizu sent me a kiss!

Melting down into her seat in a daze, Yachi hesitates, wondering if she should send a message back. They don’t even know eachother, wouldn’t it be weird? But then she knows that I’ve seen it now - it would be rude not to reply! Plus she’s Tanaka and noya’s friend! I can’t just ignore her, what if I offend them?

Decision made, Yachi types a hasty reply.

Message chat: Kiyoko Shimizu.

Me: Hello, Kiyoko-san! Thank you so much for the kind message - I am fine! I had a couple of assignments to complete and left my phone on silent, it was not my intention to worry anyone. I hope you are well too! X

...

Sent! 

Unable to handle the nausea that comes with sending that message, Yachi quickly jumps ship. There are a couple of similar messages from her most recent friend requests, whom she sends similar replies to that which she sent Kiyoko. She doesn’t bother replying to Kuroo or Oikawa’s messages, and she sends quick ‘I’m fine, was just finishing some uni work’ messages to Kenma, Tanaka, Noya and Bokuto. 

Opening up her messages, she quickly flicks through them too, pausing to read through the many she has from Oikawa which start off jokingly, progressively getting more worried, then angry, then worried again.

Message chat: ALIEN PRINCE TOORU.

APT: Angel-chan...

APT: I don’t know what we did wrong, but whatever it is I’m sorry

APT: Please don’t ignore us.

APT: Bokuto is getting depressed and Kuroo is getting angry. It’s not good.

APT: We are seriously worried over here! 

APT: God, I hope you’re okay. I hope this is some simple misunderstanding and that you arent lying dead in an alley somewhere. I know it hasnt been long, but you mean a lot to me, Yachi. Like... A LOT. To all of us. 

APT: Please come back, Yacchan

...

The messages make her heart ache something fierce. Wiping her tears from her cheeks, she quickly opens up a new message to a number she hasn’t used before.

Message chat: Iwaizumi.

Me: Hello Iwaizumi, It’s Yachi. I just want to apologise for the stress I have caused you all, especially Oikawa.

Me: I know I have no right to ask anything of you, but if you are feeling generous, could you please give Oikawa a cuddle from me. I hope he has arrived back okay.

Me: This is my number, btw. Sorry for not using yours sooner. Please feel free to message me any time and I will try to be better at replying than I was this week!

...

Hopping back into her messages she sends off a quick message to Oikawa before she can doubt herself. 

Message chat: ALIEN PRINCE TOORU.

Me: Thank you for tonight, Tooru

Me: I love you 

...

She prepares to get ready for bed, before diving back onto her phone to quickly clarify, face burning red with embarrassment and panic.

Message chat: ALIEN PRINCE TOORU.

Me: JUST TO CLARIFY I MEANT THAT IN A 100% PLATONIC WAY

Me: I know you are gay!

Me: And I completely respect your relationship with Iwaizumi!

APT: I know Yacchan

APT: dont worry!

APT: and I love you too <3

APT: thank you for the cuddle

APT: (づ￣ ³￣)づ

...

Sighing in relief, she moves on to her final stop of the night: the messages from her high school squad. Breathing deeply she quickly enters and exits all of the private chats, to get rid of the notifications, before delving into their main group chat.

Group chat: DONTYOUFORGETABOUTME

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Okay.

ILOVEDINOSAURS: So I only left Tokyo two days ago and they’ve already lost yachi -.-

Amianorange?: WAAAA?!?

Amianorange?: wat u meen lost?!?!

Milky: lost?

Freckles: What are you talking about, Tsukki?

ILOVEDINOSAURS: apparently no one can find Yachi...

ILOVEDINOSAURS: I’m not too worried, she’s probably just doing work, she did mention an assignment due in yesterday.

Freckles: ohh...

Freckles: well then I’m sure shes fine! No need to panic yet.

Freckles: keep us updated though!

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Will do.

...

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Day 3 and still no sign of her.

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Apparently Oikawa is phoning the local police stations and when they ask what she looks like he says ‘a tiny angel’ lol.

Amianorange?: AHAHA

Amiaorange?: tru

Amianorange?: i hope shes ok tho

Freckles: She hasn’t replied to any of my messages from yesterday or today :/

Milky: same

Freckles: It’s not like her

Freckles: She usually replies really quickly...

Amianorange: YEH LIKE SUPER QUIK

ILOVEDINOSAURS: *quick

ILOVEDINOSAURS: And I agree. If she messages any of you, let me know and I’ll inform the others.

Milky: k

Amianorange?: WILL DO!

Freckles: of course! You too, Tsukki!

...

Amianorange?: YACCHAN WEAR R UUUUUU

Milky: i am srsly strtin 2 gt wurid

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Your typing worries me.

Milky: f u

Freckles: I’m worried too. I’ll start asking around.

Amianorange?: SAME! 

Amianorange?: I BET KENMA CAN FIND HER!!!

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Kenma is already looking for her.

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Whatever. It’s thursday now and no one has heard from her since I saw her on sunday.

Freckles: you don’t think it has something to do with her mother, do you?

Milky: lyk wat

Freckles: IDK, but her mother controls her money, right? 

Freckles: What if she got a bad grade or something and is like... grounded? 

Freckles: She used to do that sometimes...

ILOVEDINOSAURS: I don’t know how she would enforce that from Miyagi, so I doubt it.

Amianorange?: MAYBE SHE BROKE HER FONE!?!?

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Maybe.

ILOVEDINOSAURS: It’s unlikely that she woifjdbd

Amianorange?: LOL WAT??

Milky: lol

Freckles: Tsukki?

Freckles: What’s going on??

ILOVEDINOSAURS: ugh.

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Just got a message from Kuroo.

ILOVEDINOSAURS: She’s been in the library this whole time.

Freckles: Thank god!

Amianorange?: WAAAA?!

Amianorange?: R U KIDDIN MEEEE?!

Amianorange?: YACCHAN REPLYYYYY

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Apparently she has a lot of assignments due in the next two week.

ILOVEDINOSAURS: You know how her mother is about her grades. Kuroo says she got stressed and holed up there. 

ILOVEDINOSAURS: He and Oikawa are staying with her until they are done then walking her home.

Freckles: oh good! Im glad they are looking out for her, even if it is suspicious!

Milky: ?

Freckles: like!

Freckles: what are the chances that she became friends with the people we are all friends with from high school?!

ILOVEDINOSAURS: It’s purely coincidence, I checked.

Amianorange?: U CHEKD?!

Milky: ?

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Yes I checked. You think I didn’t talk to Kuroo about it when I found out he was friends with Hitoka?

Freckles: I guess so... huh.

Freckles: if you say so then!

Freckles: the world works in mysterious ways.

Milky: yh

Amianorange?: SURE DUS!! 

Amianorange?: WAHHH I CANT WAIT TO GO TO TOKYO NOW! 

Amianorange?: I CAN C ALL MY FRENDS IN 1 GO!!!

ILOVEDINOSAURS: Ugh. I’m going now. This chat gives me a headache.

Freckles: lol, GOMEN TSUKKI!

Milky: lol

...

Well. That could have been worse, Yachi supposes.

After a quick debate, Yachi sends a slightly more personal version of the message she has sent everyone else into the group chat. She quickly explains having 6 assignments due and that she’s not going to be very reachable for the next 10 days.

Brushing her teeth, she slips into her bed finally, tucking her phone underneath her pillow. She has some good friends.


	19. My Favourite Friend Called Yachi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter in one week? Wild.
> 
> Heyoooo party people, here’s some shameless fluff for you all - but not between who you think!! 
> 
> I hope you all like this chapter - I love you all and you deserve a bit of spoiling after only uploading once a month since christmas <3
> 
> Love ya! Xoxo

It feels like barely any time later when she’s awoken by loud banging. Jolting upright, Yachi pauses wondering if she dreamt it, before the pounding comes again.

Slipping out of bed, she all but sprints to the door, praying the knocking hasn’t woken Suzumeda up. Who on earth would even be knocking at their door—

Glowing yellow eyes meet hers as she flings the door open, gasping in shock. 

“HEY HEY HEY!” Bokuto shouts, barging through the door and picking Yachi up into a twirling hug. Gosh this guy is strong!

She expects him to put her down after spinning them around once, however, his arm comes round to scoop under her butt and lift her up higher into his grasp, other arm cradling her back. Squeaking in shock, Yachi soon dissolves into giggles, head burrowing into her friends neck as he slowly rubs her back.

“Hey hey, Yacchan,” he says again in a much more subdued voice, “how are you doing?”

Pulling back slightly to look at her friend’s face, Yachi can tell he has been updated on the situation by Oikawa and Kuroo. There’s a gentleness to his hold and manner that belies just how carefully he is treating her - as if she is fragile glass, about to break with one wrong move - but there’s a firmness in his face that isn’t usually there, her friend normally being open and joyful. Oikawa’s comment yesterday about Bo being like a loyal guard dog when one of his friends is hurt comes to mind. She can see what he mean’t now, Bokuto’s manner, while still cheerful, is protective and wary, ready to pounce. 

“I’m alright, Bokuto,” Yachi whispers quietly, basking in the gentle atmosphere they are currently creating. “What are you doing here? What even is the time?” She asks, twisting her head round as if a clock will suddenly appear on the wall for her to read

“It’s 10am! I would have come later, but Ruchan said you had assignments for monday and that you would probably get stressed out if you ended up sleeping in till midday,” he finishes, a bashful look now gracing his face. 

“So... you came all the way over here just to... make sure I didn’t lie in?” 

“Oh! No! Ahaha, sorry, I forgot you didn’t know!” Bokuto laughs, rumbling voice getting louder again, “no, Yacchan. I’m here to take you shopping!”

“Shopping?!”

“Yeah! For art supplies! Ruchan said you were getting low, but didn’t have time to go out and get more, so I figured I’d come over to wake you up and we could go into town to get your art stuff together! That way you’re spending some time with your friends while also doing something productive that will make you less stressed - that’s what they always tell me to do when I start getting down, so I thought it might work for you too! THEN we can go to the library and I can help you art again!

“I really liked helping you the last time... when Tooru and Kuroo came in last night and told me they got to help you, I was SO JEALOUS! So, here I am! Ready to spend time with my favourite person called Yachi and carry your shopping bags - Ruchan says I’ve got great arms for carrying shopping bags,” Bokuto says, removing the hand from her back to flex it beside her face, making her go a bit lightheaded - those are some damn good arms. 

“A-Are you saying you want to come shopping for art supplies with me?” She stutters, “and then help me with my projects afterwards?”

“Mhmm!” Bokuto nods enthusiastically, spiked updo wobbling slightly with the motion. 

“O-Okay then! Let me just get some proper clothes on...” she says, glancing down at herself to suddenly realise that in her tired state last night she didn’t even put on pyjama pants! She is wearing nothing but knickers and a baggy t-shirt that once belonged to Kageyama. Bokuto’s arm that is still holding her up is literally resting all along her bare legs!

Face burning bright red she glances up to see Bokuto has come to the same realisation, eyes going comically wide as he too sports a faint blush - this is the first time Yachi has ever seen him blush, the man is so confident and blasé that embarrassment isn’t even part of his vocabulary - usually. 

Both of them open their mouths at the same time, most likely to stumble through awkward apologies and explanations, when a throat is cleared further down the hallway.

“What the hell?” Suzumeda asks, bored tone betrayed by the hungry glint in her eyes. 

Squeaking, Yachi turns her head quickly to stare at the girl, mouth gaping open with lost words. Preparing to scramble down from her compromising position, Yachi is shocked to find herself being tugged against a hard body and turned so that her bare legs aren’t on display.

“Hey hey hey... do I know you?” Bokuto asks, startling both Yachi and Suzumeda out of their awkward staring contest. 

Suzumeda’s eyes grow wide as she straightens from her ‘casual’ lean against the wall. “Bokuto?”

“Yeah, that’s me! Do I know y— oh! Hey! Your one of those girls that is always at Akaashi’s concerts! Hey man,” he says, body still shielding Yachi’s, allowing her a perfect view of his face - a face that tells her he is NOT happy to see Suzumeda here. “What are you doing in Yacchan’s flat?”

“I’m YACCHAN’s flatmate,” Suzumeda says, flicking her hair haughtily over her shoulder, “why are you here? You can’t HONESTLY be telling me Yachi has a boyfriend?!” She laughs.

Yachi can feel as Bokuto’s spine straightens and his grip on her tightens, protectiveness kicking in as he witnesses someone making fun of Yachi for the first time.

“Yeah, I am actually. What’s it to you?”

Yachi’s flatmate’s face burns red with rage as she splutters, failing to come up with a retort. Spotting the opportunity to escape, Yachi leans up to whisper into Bokuto’s ear like a lover would.

“Second door on the right is mine. I have an ensuite. Take us through there and I’ll hop into the showers quickly, then we can head out. Please, lets just leave.” Piece said, Yachi leans back, taking in Suzumeda’s face rapidly draining of colour at the exchange. Huh.

Before she can think on the reaction further, Bokuto is moving, striding past her flatmate with a tight jaw and stern glare, turning with a flourish to slam the door in her face. 

Walking across to the bed, Bokuto kneels and sits her on the edge of it, taking her face into his hands and whispering, “I’m sorry, I don’t like you that way, but she was being mean to you! I couldn’t stand there and say nothing!”

Giggling slightly at her friend’s worried look, she pats his cheek with a fond smile. “I know you don’t like me like that Bokuto, don’t worry about it. Thank you for standing up for me.”

Yachi stands up without waiting for an answer and begins searching through her wardrobe for a suitable outfit to go shopping in and also do her art in. Lost in thought - should she go pink or blue? - Yachi jumps in surprise when strong hands twist her around to meet the serious face of her friend. 

“Don’t say it like that.”

Genuinely puzzled, Yachi scrunches her face up in confusion, “don’t say what like what?”

“Don’t say that I don’t like you like that! Like its obvious! Like no one would like you! You’re a catch Yacchan and anyone would be lucky to have you, so don’t talk about my friend like that! She’s great and I’m sure plenty of people have MASSIVE crushes on her,” he ends, nodding his head enthusiastically.

Shocked that Bokuto was able to pick up on that she pauses - she hadn’t even mean’t to say that, it just slipped out. Her old habit of dismissing anything romantic as a misunderstanding because how could anyone find her attractive? She’d been better about it since coming to uni - especially since meeting the guys - but old habits die hard she supposes.

“I’m sorry Bokuto, you’re right. I wouldn’t say MASSIVE crushes, but I’m sure there are some people around campus that think I’m nice,” she smiles at her friend in fondness - what did she do to deserve such good friends - “I’ll try to not be so down on myself!”

“Right!” Bokuto exclaims, punching the air in victory, before plucking the blue, loose-knit sweater from the hanger in her wardrobe. “Here! So shower, I’ll wait out here!”

Thumbing the material softly, she enters her en-suite with a smile - I guess that solves my dilemma of what to wear.

After a quick shower, she braids her hair back into two french plaits on either side of her head - she can’t be bothered to dry it and this keeps it out of her face - and applies a small amount of concealer to hide her growing eye-bags. 

Getting dressed quickly - she doesn’t want to keep Bokuto waiting and she does have two assignments to do - she adjusts her clothes in the mirror, satisfied with her appearance.

Light grey skinny jeans with white paint stains, cuffed at the bottom adorn her legs, leading to soft, lilac ankle socks. The sky-blue jumper is pulled on over a white vest top. Heading back out, she turns to Bokuto, “what’s the weather like outside?”

“Rainy.”

Great. Perfect shopping weather. Grabbing her lemon yellow raincoat and slipping on her white vans, she picks up her art bag, keys and wallet - and after a seconds thought, her phone! - and gives a ‘what do you think?’ Twirl for Bokuto.

Grinning he gives her a thumbs up in response, before grabbing her hand with enthusiasm and dragging her out of the flat.

He continues to hold her hand as they walk towards the subway station to get to the city centre, swinging their arms backwards and forwards happily.

The two chat happily as they travel, Yachi asking Bokuto to explain some more stuff about volleyball to her so that she will be more prepared for their next match - which he does excitedly.

The boy goes through the different player positions within the game, how they all work and what they each can and can’t do. Apparently he is the ace of their team and Nishinoya is their Libero - their guardian deity. The two cornerstones to a good offence and defence. The setter is the orchestrator, deciding who to send the ball to. As he explains, Yachi is baffled by the complexity of the position - Kageyama and Oikawa are thinking about all of these things while playing?! 

When she asks about Kuroo’s position, she learns that he is a middle blocker - what Bokuto claims is the most versatile position to play. 

“You see, middle blockers are so important! They can get a ‘one touch’ which gives us a chance to attack, instead of the ball going out of play or being spiked into the court. They can deliberately leave gaps in order to force players to spike in a certain direction, making them easier to receive. They can use soft blocks, which will launch the ball upwards for the setter to get underneath, allowing their team time to regroup and coordinate an attack, or they can shut it down. Turn their palms the other way and RIGHT as a spiker thinks they are going to smash it... BAM! The ball falls on their side of the court instead! Man, Tsukki did that to Ushijima during nationals his first year - changed the tide of the whole game! Still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it...”

The two continue, the elder teaching Yachi as they wander through stores, and Yachi in turn educating Bokuto on different types of paints and art styles, different canvas materials and pencil types.

As promised, the grey-haired man carries all of her bags for her - some of which she KNOWS are heavy, having treated herself to some more canvases - his arms bulging pleasantly, never uttering a complaint.

They duck into a couple of sports stores too, looking at kneepads and sports shoes and different types of gloves, Bokuto explaining it all to her with infinite patience and enthusiasm. Yachi finds that she is having fun. Her assignments don’t seem nearly so daunting with a decent nights sleep and a friend by her side.

It’s during their meanderings round a certain sports store that Bokuto makes a noise of triumph, holding something aloft in his hand.

“Aha!”

Amused and confused, Yachi appeases the man who is staring at her with glittering gold eyes, asking, “and what is that, Bokuto?”

“It’s a birthday present for Yuu!”

Yuu? As in Nishinoya? “When is Noya’s birthday?” Yachi asks, eyes skimming the items around her, wondering if there’s anything she can buy the libero...

“2 days!”

“2 DAYS?!” She shrieks, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth as she becomes the recipient of some glares. How is she mean’t to find a gift in two days? What does he even like?! She barely knows him!

“Mhmm!” Bokuto hums, skipping towards the checkout counter, satisfied with his find.

Maybe she shouldn’t get him anything... he won’t be expecting a gift from her, will he? But she’s practically ignored him all week, it’s the least she can do!

Lost in her own head, she wracks her brain for something, not paying any mind as they leave the store, heading towards the final art store on her list, before they can head to the library. It’s as she is flicking between gold paint swatches, trying to decide which shade to buy, that it hits her.

Aha!

Quickly grabbing whichever one she comes to first, it’s now Yachi that is dragging Bokuto by the hand, all-but running through the shopping centre with a laughing Bokuto behind her who is along for the ride, despite not knowing what is going on. It takes a couple of minutes, but eventually Yachi finds herself in a sports store they visited earlier. 

While Bokuto had been eying kneepads, Yachi had wandered off through the store, coming across a section with a bunch of fitness and motivational posters. She looked through them, appreciating the graphic design on a couple of them, until one suddenly caught her eye; it was a ‘100 yoga poses’ poster where you had to scratch off every one you mastered until all 100 were revealed, like a scratch card. 

Jogging now through the store, Yachi finds the poster selection from earlier and prays that they still have some left in stock.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, she turns to Bokuto with a grin, “think he would like this?”

Turning to take in the poster, her friend’s eyes go wide and awed, flitting from Yachi to the poster and back again, before a smile splits his face. Lunging forwards he tackles her into a hug.

“It’s perfect! You know you don’t have to get him anything, right Yacchan? It’s just tradition for everyone in the flat to get eachother gifts. You don’t have to go out of you way... no one will be mad at you.”

Smiling sweetly, Yachi wonders how she got so lucky to fall into a group of such wonderful people. 

“I know, but I want to. It doesn’t cost much and if you really think he’ll like it—”

“He will!” Bokuto interrupts with the excitement of an overeager puppy, “of course he will! It’s totally his type of thing - and he loves a challenge!”

Encouraged by Bokuto’s response to her idea, she happily tucks the poster under her arm and heads off to pay, trailed by her friend who is ‘ooh’ing and ‘aah’ing at the different poses it shows on the packet, claiming “man I haven’t seen Yuu do that one before, damn he’s gonna love this!”

Paying for the gift she hands it over to Bokuto with the request that he give it to Noya for her since she probably won’t get to see him on his actual birthday.

Satisfied with their purchases the two finally begin heading out, starting to make their way back to the subway station. With all of her new toys, Yachi can feel herself getting inspired, raring to go. Her body is thrumming with the pent up energy she usually pushes out into her art. 

Practically skipping along the street, Yachi’s eyes skim over a shop display before whizzing back, the girl tripping over her own feet in her attempt to stop. Stumbling into Bokuto’s side, he laughs jovially at her clumsiness, before realising her attention is elsewhere.

Across the street, on a mannequin in a store window is the fluffiest hoodie she has ever seen.

Practically sprinting over, Yachi tumbles through the door to see tonnes of them all in different patterns. Walking over to the closest one, Yachi looks at the label to see that they are something called an ‘oodie’.

Essentially, they are hoodies made of blanket material. Extremely baggy and extremely soft. Dragging her fingers across the material, she hears Bokuto’s amazed “so soft!” From behind her as her eyes spy what she is looking for.

Nestled towards the back of the small store is a peach coloured ‘oodie’ with a bunch of blue cats across it, all doing different things. Its perfect. Buying the biggest size they have in stock she marches up to the counter with confidence. It’s perfect.

Happy with her final purchase, she fends off the persistent questions from Bokuto - it’s a surprise! - and they board the subway together, heading back towards university.

As they settle in to the seats next to eachother, she carefully leans over to place her head on her friend’s shoulder.

“Thank you for this, Koutarou. I really needed it.”

It’s enough of a reward to see the dazzling smile that lights up his face at the use of his first name, Yachi always hesitating to use her new friends’ first names, despite having express permission from all of them to do so. 

Knowing what a big step this is for her, Bokuto reins himself in and gives her the biggest smile he can muster, before dropping a sloppy kiss onto her cheek.

“You’re welcome, Hitoka.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here are the links to Noya’s present: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gift-Republic-Bucket-Scratch-Poster/dp/B07MFR1C2T/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=yoga+scratch+poster&qid=1591211067&sprefix=yoga+scr&sr=8-2 
> 
> And the mystery surprise oodie (why do you think she bought it?): https://theoodie.com/products/cat-oodie


	20. How Else Is It Mean’t To Look To The Heterosexuals?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 250 KUDOS!!! ON A RARESHIP FIC!!! OMG!!!!
> 
> Guys, gals and non-binary folk... I honestly cant thank you enough! This fic is a labour of love and having you all at my back and in my comments telling me how much you enjoy my writing? It just... you all push me to be better and continue this fic when sometimes I want to give up and I cant express how much you all mean to me.
> 
> On that note... I hope you enjoy this chapter, though Im gonna be honest, it’s a tough one.
> 
> TRIGGER-WARNING for bullying, verbal abuse and a TINY bit of physical (not written about in detail). It’s probably not that bad, but it may be quite distressing for some people to read and I want you all to be safe!
> 
> Feel free to kudos or comment and lemme know what you think! If that’s not your thing, its cool too and we are happy to have you here!
> 
> You all have my gratitude and my love, peace out kitty-kats <3 xoxo

A stressful weekend ensued, Yachi pushing and pushing herself to do well and get her next two assignments handed in on time on Monday. The difference this time, however, was that every step of the way she had one of the ‘volleyball squad’ - as she dubbed them in her head - with her at almost all times. Oikawa would pop over in between doing his own homework in a different part of the library for 15 minutes to complain to her about his ridiculously complicated astrophysics module, giving her a well needed break from staring at her computer. Kuroo also made appearances for longer periods of time, sitting in his customary spot, quietly doing his work alongside her, one earbud always hanging out as an invitation for her to speak to him... she really appreciated that.

Bokuto was a near constant shadow, forever asking what he could do to help and bringing her snacks from the vending machine downstairs. Even Iwaizumi made appearances, bringing tupperware containers of food for her - apparently the guys were still on cooking duty for the next week, thanks to her Mario Kart wins, but Iwaizumi didn’t want them poisoning her, so the food he brought round was in fact made by him - a fact that Bokuto lamented loudly, sick of Nishinoya’s terrible cooking.

Speaking of Nishinoya, he also popped by, tackling her into Bokuto with a wild dive, crushing her ribs in a surprisingly strong hug. Apparently he loved the poster and had already scratched off 36 of them - he had expected the number to be higher, so he was very excited to learn and conquer the other 40 - demonstrating one of them on the table to her mixed awe and fear.

And so, that’s how her weekend came and went, surrounded by friends, love and support. Her’s and Bokuto’s work - because yes he helped her and she’s not the kind of person to not give credit where credit is due - was handed in on Monday to her immense relief, and now she only has two more left; one due in on Thursday and one for Friday.

As such, Yachi decides that it’s finally time to head back into University properly and start attending her lectures again. She had messaged her module leaders to explain her incredible workload and poor mental health, apologising for not attending last week, but assuring them that she would keep up to date with all of the work they uploaded online. 

So, here she is, at 5pm on Tuesday, having just left her final lecture of the day feeling happy and free, the weight that has been looming over her head for the past week all but gone. Sure, she still has two more assignments, but the past weekend with her friends has proven to her that she is more than strong enough to handle it. 

With a skip in her step, she wanders down the corridor, ready to head back to her flat and get started on her next piece, for her favourite module.

She hasn’t talked to any of her friends about this module properly, wanting it to be a surprise. She was given a project at the start of the year, which she needs to have done by Christmas: Animals and Humanity.

It’s a mixed media module, meaning she has to fill in an entire sketchbook worth of art, create a large art piece - be it a canvas, a poster, a sculpture - and then an online portfolio too. It’s a highly demanding course, but she has some good inspiration to keep her motivated. On New Years Day the best 3 portfolios will be selected and displayed in the Tokyo National Art Centre for an entire month... not that Yachi thinks hers will get picked, but it’s something to work towards she supposes.

No, it’s not the art centre possibility that makes her excited for this module... it’s that everything she is doing for it is based on her new friends. From that very first moment she met Kuroo and saw the predatory glance he shot her... it lit up a spark of inspiration in her, which was furthered by her meeting Bokuto with his uncanny resemblance to a horned owl - she can’t help it if his hair is just that unique! Then at the volleyball game when it looked like Oikawa was suspended in midair... she swore she could SEE wings unfurling from his back - the same happened when she witnessed Tanaka’s first spike of the game, contrasting black wings spread wide in victory. 

How could she not find inspiration in that?

Smiling to herself, brain full of ideas, she walks straight into someone with a gasp, falling backwards onto the floor, bag skittering off to the left.

Scrambling to stand up, a hand grabs her bag and holds it out to her, “oh my gosh! I’m so sorry! I was in a world of my own and I comple—”

Cutting off in shock, Yachi stares into the equally shocked eyes of Akaashi Keiji.

Shit.

“A-Akaashi-san! I-I’m so so sorry!” She stutters, hesitantly reaching out to grab her bag from his still outstretched hand, struggling a little bit as his grip on the item is quite strong. Fidgeting with the item, she hooks it back over her shoulder awkwardly, before shyly looking up into the handsome boy’s face, taking a stuttering step backwards at the hostile look it is now adorned by. “A-Akaashi-san?”

“So it’s true then.”

“W-What’s true, Akaashi-san?”

“That you’re going out with Bokuto-san.”

What? How has he come to that conclusion?! Yachi flounders, scrambling to find something to say, face burning hotly at the insinuation.

“What? No! That’s absurd! He’s just a friend!”

A snort of derision shocks her. Such an ugly sound coming from such a beautiful face not seeming possible. “Of course you aren’t,” he says sarcastically. 

“I-I’m not! I would never go out with Bokuto!”

Grey-blue eyes narrow dangerously, “what did you say?”

“I said I would never go out with Bokuto...” she repeats hesitantly, knowing she is in dangerous territory, but she wouldn’t! He loves Akaashi and she would never get between that!

“So you’re toying with him then,” Akaashi spits venomously.

“...WHAT?! NO! OF COURSE NOT!”

“So you will wear his clothes, let him have sex with you and hang out with him... but you AREN’T INTERESTED?!” He hisses.

Sex?! 

“B-Bokuto and I have NEVER had sex, Akaashi-san! I d-don’t know where you got the idea—”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’M NOT! Bokuto and I have never had sex and we NEVER WILL!”

“Why are you wearing his favourite hoodie then?” He asks calmly, eye twitching in a way that makes him look like a predator waiting to pounce the moment his prey shows any sign of weakness.

“What...?” Yachi asks, befuddled, looking down at her clothes for the first time today, having just thrown on anything comfortable. 

Oh. Draped across her tiny frame is a hoodie. The hoodie Iwaizumi let her wear when she left their flat the morning after Karaoke. Ah.

“Oh. I didn’t know this was Bokuto’s hoo—”

“BULLSHIT!” Comes the ferocious shout from Akaashi, drawing the attention of others in the corridor. “Don’t give me that. You’re not an idiot, Yachi. Bokuto has talked about you enough the past month for me to know that much.”

“B-But it’s true! Iwaizumi let me have it to go home in after I stayed over...” she drifts off uncomfortably as she sees Akaashi’s calm facade break for the first time - even when shouting at her before, he had kept his mask firmly in place, but now it’s crumbling.

“You... stayed over at the flat?”

“Yeah... you didn’t know?”

“No,” he all but whispers, “no I didn’t know. How long has this been going on for?”

“I-It only happened the once! When we went to Karaoke I had a bit of a bad spell, so we left early and Iwaizumi brought me back to your flat...” she says softly, treading lightly. Maybe Kenma wasn’t the only one that would have been uncomfortable with her staying there...

“Karaoke night,” he scoffs, eyes downcast, a frown marring his brow, “so that’s why you didn’t come back. You were in my flat the entire time... where did you stay?”

“I-In Kuroo’s room...”

“Kuroo’s?!” He asks fiercely, “it’s not enough that you’re playing with Bokuto’s feelings, but you’re getting his best friend involved too?!” He accuses, voice rising once again, causing Yachi to retreat a step.

“B-Bokuto doesn’t have feelings for me, Akaashi-san!” She says earnestly, begging him to hear the truth in her voice, “and I’m not playing with anyone, I swear!”

“Of course he does! You’re all he ever talks about anymore! It’s always ‘Yachi this’ or ‘Yachi that’ and if it’s not him then its Oikawa or Nishinoya! I can’t escape you!” He shouts, voice hoarse and eyes desperate as if begging her to understand - and she does.

He’s jealous.

“Akaashi-san...” she whispers, shocked that someone as talented and beautiful as him is so torn up because of her, “I—”

“It doesn’t matter,” he says suddenly, interrupting her, “I’m sorry for bumping into you, Yachi-san. Have a nice evening,” he softly comments, before shifting to the left and walking past her, face set in that emotionless mask, once again. 

Watching him walk away, Yachi feels her eyes begin to sting with unshed tears. Stifling a sniffle, she blinks rapidly and turns to continue on her way, head down as her head fills with tumultuous thoughts and emotions; anger, sadness, panic, grief.

This cycle of emotions swarms in her chest, haunting her all the way back to her flat where, for the second time today she runs straight into someone.

Bouncing backwards, her back hits the door behind her, head cracking off of it painfully.

“You little bitch!” Suzumeda hisses.

“What?!”

“You think we wouldn’t find out?!” She shouts.

Dangerously close to the end of her tether, Yachi can’t stop her own voice from raising. She was able to keep most of her emotions in check during her confrontation with Akaashi, but she’s too emotionally drained now, “find out what?!”

“You wanna play dumb, you little slut? We know about you and Akaashi!”

“What about us?!”

“That you had a fight today! That you were shouting at him in the corridors!” She says, grinning victoriously.

“...so?” Yachi sighs, unable to even understand where this is going.

“So?!” Suzumeda screeches, “so you think you can know Akaashi and hide it from us?! Everyone says he was shouting at you because he found out you were in a relationship with Bokuto,” she says, eyes gleaming, “everyone is saying you cheated on him.”

What.

Oh no...

“T-That’s not what happened at all!” Yachi squeaks, arms waving about in earnest.

“Oh? It’s not is it? Little Yacchan,” she says, grinning as she spits out the nickname Bokuto gave her, “did you HONESTLY think you could get it past us that you were going out with Akaashi? Do you think we’re STUPID OR SOMETHING?!” She shouts.

“I don’t know what you’re on about! Akaashi and I aren’t an item!”

“Not anymore, you’re not,” Suzumeda grins, “you must have thought us idiots, wandering round here talking about Akaashi and his concerts - I mean, that’s how you found about him isn’t it?!” She shouts, voice bordering on hysterical, “you heard us talking about his concerts, so you wen’t to one and snatched him out right from under our noses!”

“Of course I didn’t! I didn’t even know they were the same Akaashi at first! I met Bokuto who just HAPPENED to live with him!”

“Oh please, you’re little innocent act might have fooled them two, wrapped them around your little finger... but you don’t fool me! I mean, I didn’t even realise that the ‘Yacchan’ Akaashi kept mentioning was YOU until I heard Bokuto call you it the other day... you played them both so easily didn’t you?!”

And that’s when it clicks.

The excessive use of the nickname ‘Yacchan’, the glint in her eye like she knows something Yachi doesn’t, Akaashi’s belief that she and Bokuto had had sex...

“It was you!” She gasps in horror, “it was you that told Akaashi that Bokuto and I were a couple!”

“Well... not necessarily a couple,” she laughs with a wink, “just that I may or may not have caught the two of you in a compromising position...”

“Why would you DO THAT?!” Yachi gapes, unable to fathom why someone would be so unnecessarily cruel.

“BECAUSE HE’S MINE YOU CHEAP WHORE!” She screams, getting into Yachi’s face who curls up into the door behind her, “BECAUSE I SAW HIM FIRST AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO GET HIS ATTENTION, BUT YOUR A FILTHY CHEATER AND HE DESERVES BETTER!”

“WE AREN’T A COUPLE! WE NEVER HAVE BEEN!” Yachi screams back, tears now streaming down her face. How has her life become this? “I don’t know what made you think we were, but we’re not! Today was only the second time I’ve met him!”

“BULLSHIT!” Suzumeda shouts back, causing Yachi to have a flashback of Akaashi shouting the exact same thing at her 30 minutes beforehand. “That’s bullshit and you know it. Why would he have shouted at you in the hallway about it if you’d only met twice?!”

How, Yachi thinks, can I explain this without outing him. And it’s tempting - oh it’s SO tempting! To stop being good and kind. To let this man whose presence has been haunting her for the past week and a half suffer the way she has - to feel the same embarrassment that she did today when he accosted her in the hallway...

But she’s not that person. She isn’t Akaashi - and she CERTAINLY isn’t Suzumeda. 

Shame washes over her at the fact that she even considered outing him to get some petty semblance of revenge. The look in Akaashi’s eyes comes to mind. The look he gave her when his mask finally cracked.

Desperation. That wasn’t the look of a man who is cruel and evil for the sake of it. It was the look of a man who thought he was loosing the person he loved to another and was helpless to stop it. 

Sighing in defeat, Yachi lowers her head, tears flowing in anger at the injustice of the situation. How dare Suzumeda manipulate Akaashi’s emotions like that.

“How can someone so beautiful be so cruel?” Yachi asks, fiery eyes lifting to glare at Suzumeda. “How can someone be so awful to someone that has never done anything to them ever?! But more than that... how can someone claim to be in love, yet so willing to cause that person pain?”

Suzumeda’s face twists in an ugly way, “what,” she hisses, “do you mean by that?”

“I mean,” Yachi starts, back straightening with righteous anger for a man that’s life is falling to pieces around him, who is being manipulated by someone that is supposed to care for him, “that you claim to love Akaashi-san, but you would willingly tell him false truths, that you KNOW would hurt him, in order to get what you want. You sad, pathetic, cruel girl!”

A loud crack, quickly followed by another hollower one, renders the room silent.

Yachi’s head lies back against the door behind her, head spinning. She turns it slowly, black spots dancing round the edges of her vision as she focuses on Suzumeda panting before her, hand raised viciously from where it just slapped her across the face. Huh.

Rolling her tongue around her mouth, Yachi tastes blood, but there’s no pain as of yet - probably the adrenaline she thinks vaguely. 

Pushing off the door behind her, she shoulders past the angry girl, emotions subdued. 

I have an assignment to do, she thinks, wandering slowly to her room, silence cloyingly thick in the corridor.

Once the door clicks shut behind her, she feels her legs slowly giving way, sliding down the wood till she’s resting on the floor. Resting her head between her knees, she takes slow, meditative breaths, forcing away the panic attack she can feel rising in the back of her head that is now beginning to throb.

She isn’t sure how long she sits there for, but eventually she raises her head, seeing that her room has fallen into darkness. Head lolling to the side, she digs in her bag for her phone, clicking into her messages, eyes scanning over her contacts before one catches her attention. Sending off a quick message before she can doubt herself, she doesn’t have to wait long for a reply:

‘Library basement, behind the old video section for film students.’

Standing on unsteady legs, Yachi crosses her room, gathering the supplies she needs for her next assignment, body worryingly void of emotions. She gets like this sometimes - it’s a different manifestation of her anxiety - where she feels too much all at once and her brain can’t handle it, so it shuts all of her emotions off instead.

Preparing to leave the flat, her eyes catch on her desk chair. Pausing for a moment, she quickly scoops up the item resting on the back of it and dashes out of the door, slamming it in her haste, but unable to bring herself to regret it.

The 20 minute walk to the library clears her fuzzy head a lot, weariness catching up to her finally, legs feeling like they are made of lead. 

What a day.

Entering the library and taking the stairs down to the basement instead of up to the second floor makes her feel strange - she wonders if any of the guys are up in the alcove... she feels bad not going to see them, but she doesn’t think she could handle seeing Bo right now. 

Reading the signs as she walks by, she eventually comes to the seldom-visited corner of the library holding old video tapes of things long forgotten. Rounding the shelves, Yachi finds who she was looking for sitting on a plush, old sofa with their laptop perched on their knees which are tucked up to fit on the seat. Their face is buried in the collar of their jumper which, as Yachi moves closer, she can make out to be Ralph Lauren. Oikawa wasn’t joking about them stealing his expensive clothing.

Soft, golden eyes flit up to meet hers before quickly darting away, “hello.”

Moving closer to perch on the other side of the sofa, Yachi gives a gentle, genuine smile full of exhaustion, flopping back onto the soft pillows, “hi Kenma.”

The other shuffles a little, eyes quickly darting from their laptop, to her face, to the thing in her arms, to the table and back again. She understands why they are nervous, it’s only their second time meeting in person after all. Deciding that honesty is the best policy, Yachi lays herself bare.

“I’ve had a really bad day... I was hoping I’d be able to chill down here and do my work - I promise I won’t distract you - I just don’t think I can handle seeing any of the others right now...”

“Why not?”

The question catches her off guard, though she supposes she should have expected it. Hoping that Kenma’s shy nature would stop them from questioning her actions was too much to ask for apparently.

“I had a bit of a... confrontation with Akaashi earlier and I’m not feeling too good about it... then I went back to my apartment and got into another altercation, this time with my flatmate... it’s been a shitty day,” she sighs, finally voicing her true thoughts.

“A confrontation?”

“Mhmm,” she mumbles, eyes tracing the odd shapes on the ancient ceiling.

“You wanna talk about it...?” Kenma’s hesitant voice questions, causing Yachi to turn and look at them. They are biting their lip with what seems to be worry - a change from the general apathy Yachi has seen from them typically.

“I don’t know... I mean he’s your friend and I don’t want to cause any issues, that’s why I can’t see the guys right now. I don’t want to make anyone feel like they have to choose between the two of us!” She huffs, knowing how awful it can be when you get caught between two friends, having been stuck in more than one of Hinata and Kageyama’s arguments before. 

Kenma hums for a moment, as if debating the dilemma, before replying, “tell me if you want to. I’ll be honest with you if I think you’re in the wrong - the same goes for Akaashi.”

“O-Okay,” Yachi whispers, hands fiddling with the material between them, before she jumps in surprise, reminded of what she grabbed before leaving the flat. “Oh! Here, this is for you! It’s not a bribe or anything, I just saw it and thought you’d like it...” she says, smiling and handing over the cat oodie she picked up while shopping with Bokuto.

Kenma hesitantly reaches out to grab the fabric, before their eyes widen minutely, fingers running through the extremely soft material with reverence. Unfolding it fully, Yachi sees when they realise that it’s not a blanket, but instead meant to be worn. A small smile curls up the corner of their lips, the edges of their eyes softening with what could be called fondness. Picking their laptop up off their knees, they hand it to Yachi, before ducking to pull the oodie over their body. Once in place, they quickly stand to tuck it underneath them, before sitting back down and tucking their legs up. The oodie is so big that they can comfortably scrunch their knees up underneath the main body of it with plenty of wiggle room - exactly what Yachi was aiming for. 

Smiling happily, Yachi hands them their laptop back, the small human smiling in return, uttering a soft, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Yachi says jovially, glad that her gift has been well received. 

“So...” Kenma says, pulling the hood of the oodie up around their face, “tell me what happened.”

And she does.

From bumping into Akaashi, to the hostility and shouting, to the accusing her of having sex with Bokuto, to her guilt about staying at the flat without his permission, to going home and finding out it was her flatmate that told him, to tell them about the compromising position she and Bokuto were in the other day, to finally her flatmate slapping her.

At the end of her speech, Kenma reaches forwards to prod her cheek, causing her to wince. “I did wonder why you came in here with a black eye and a bust lip... I’m just glad it was your flatmate that did it and not Akaashi or there’d be issues - not that their already isn’t,” they sigh, leaning backwards after a final poke.

“I have a busy lip...?” Yachi whispers, now remembering the taste of blood in her mouth that she dismissed earlier.

Kenma hums in response, brows furrowed as if trying to solve a complex puzzle in their head.

“Well... that was my day,” Yachi says awkwardly, finding Kenma’s lack of response slightly worrying, “and now I’m just gonna do my assignment...” she says, rifling around in her long forgotten bag on the floor.

Sliding down to the floor so that she can work at the low coffee table infront of the sofa, Yachi pulls out her sketchbook and new paints, flipping to her most recent page - a sketch of Iwaizumi with thin quills extending from his arms and shoulders. The sketch makes her smile, thinking of how accurate Oikawa’s first descriptions of his boyfriend as a prickly hedgehog truly was. Yachi thinks he looks cool like this... strong and confident, like a spiky superhero! 

Smiling down at her work, she flicks to the next page, turning back to observe Kenma who still seems to be lost in their own thoughts, curled up on the sofa like a cat. Grinning at the comparison, she begins the sketch, thinking of how Kenma is a different cat to Kuroo, the smaller student akin to a soft kitten, where the tall middle blocker reminds her of something much bigger and more predatory... like a panther.

Doodling away, Yachi doesn’t realise at first that Kenma’s head has snapped up to look at her, pausing in her work to quietly ask, “is everything okay?”

“Akaashi’s in the wrong.”

“O-Oh! No I don’t think so...”

“He is. I’ve known him for 5 years now and he hardly ever loses control like you described... I said that I would tell you if you were in the wrong - well, you’re not.”

“Okay...” she whispers, looking back down at her work, before starting to sketch again with a small smile, “thanks Kenma.”

“You don’t have to thank me...” they reply, equally as quiet, not wanting to break the tender, comfortable atmosphere they have created, “also, are you drawing me?”

“Y-Yeah, is that alright? Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I should have asked!”

“It’s fine. I’m used to Oikawa and Kuroo constantly getting in my space and taking pictures of me without permission, you’re not bothering me - at least you respect my personal space,” they joke with a small shift of their lips.

Giggling lightly, because she knows exactly what Kenma is talking about, she settles back down to draw, knowing she is safe for the time being.

•••

It’s after midnight when Kenma finally enters the flat, surprised to see that Akaashi, Kuroo and Iwaizumi are still awake, not that anything shows on their face.

Hovering just inside of the doorway, they push their weight from foot to foot, unable to decide what to do. Making decisions is tough.

Figuring it’s a problem for tomorrow, they begin moving towards the hallway, ready to hop into bed and play some animal crossing, when Yachi’s bruised eye and bust lip comes to mind. Grinding their teeth together, they march towards the kitchen, passing the back of the sofa with a gritted, “Akaashi, a word please.”

The small startle the boy gives causing a slight swelling of satisfaction within Kenma, who keeps a straight face as they lean against the kitchen island as far away from Kuroo’s prying ears as possible.

“Yes, Kenma?” Akaashi asks, shoulders tense - it’s not often that Kenma uses that tone of voice on anyone, and typically it’s Kuroo for one thing or another.

Taking a calming breath, Kenma forces themself to look Akaashi straight in the eyes as they say, “you need to get a grip.”

“I’m sorry?” Akaashi responds, genuinely confused by the hostility his friend is radiating.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, Akaashi.”

“I-I don’t—”

“Yes you do. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

A deep sigh pulls itself from within Akaashi’s chest as his shoulders droop, like a puppet suddenly cut from its strings. Eyes trained on the floor, he says nothing.

Why must I do everything myself?

“I’m going to say this - and I’m only going to say it once - Bokuto and Yachi are just friends. HOWEVER—” they speak up, raising their voice to cut over Akaashi’s floundering, “even if they weren’t just friends, it’s no excuse for your behaviour. Yachi told me her side of things and I believe her, so... I have a couple of questions for you.

“First one: did Suzumeda tell you about Yachi and Bokuto being together?”

“...yes.”

“And you believed her, why?”

The lack of response is telling in itself.

“You don’t even like her, Akaashi. You always go on about how she and Yukie come to all your concerts and are extremely stalkerish... so why would you believe her about Bokuto and Yachi? What reason would she have to tell you something like that, unless it was to cause problems?”

“I thought she was just telling me because she knows Bokuto is my friend...”

“Really now? Well. Did you know that when I met up with Yachi in the library she had a black eye and a bruised lip?”

At Akaashi’s shocked expression, they soften slightly, glad to have confirmation that he doesn’t want Yachi to be hurt, despite his obvious jealousy. 

“I’ll take it that’s a no. Do you want to know why she had a bruised face and bloody lip?” Kenma asks lowly, knowing that what comes next will be a fatal blow. At Akaashi’s hesitant nod, they continue. “It’s because Suzumeda thought you and Yachi were a couple - and your outburst today was ‘proof’ for them.”

“What?! Why would she think that?”

“Apparently you’ve been mentioning a ‘Yacchan’ quite a lot recently... some new girlfriend or something, they thought. When they heard Bokuto - your best friend - using the same nickname for Yachi, they realised she was who you had been talking about. So, when she was seen in such a compromising position with Bokuto - which I’m also sure wasn’t nearly as bad as Suzumeda made it out to be - they thought she was cheating on you, WHICH you all but confirmed when you confronted her in the hallway, shouting about her and Bokuto being together. How else is it mean’t to look to heterosexuals?” They say, exasperated, annoyed at their friend for being so close minded and trusting the word of two girls that he knows are untrustworthy. 

“I... I don’t. I didn’t...” he stutters.

“I know,” Kenma sighs, stepping forwards to gently pat their friend on the shoulder, “but you were wrong, and now you have to make it right, because she’s here to stay.” They say, looking up into their friends eyes earnestly, “she’s a good person - good for us... and while she and Bokuto may not be a thing, I can’t say the same about her and Kuroo. He would be devastated to know that you don’t get along with the girl he likes.”

Walking away, they pause at the entrance to the lounge, looking into the concerned eyes of Kuroo and Iwaizumi - it’s not often they will have a chat with one of the group like that, and it’s usually about something serious - they shake their head, before turning back to look at Akaashi, whose eyes are trained on the floor, having not moved from their spot.

“Just think about it,” they say, “you’re a good person and a good friend, ‘Kaashi... she could use one of them.”


	21. My Baby’s Delicate Sensibilities!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Wow, who is this schedule-keeping gal? 
> 
> This is another ‘rough’ one in the sense that it dives a little deeper into Yachi’s mental health and we start looking at ways to begin coping with all the horrible things that are happening in her life. 
> 
> Also YamaGUCCI BAE is here! I really hope you like how I portrayed him in this, though I couldn’t justify spending like 5 chapters on hiS visit like I did for Tsukki (Sorry, blatant favouritism, I know. I’m a bad mother).
> 
> Have a wonderful time, my lovelies and let me know what you think in the comments! I try to respond to you all if I can and I honestly love talking to you guys - if I made a twitter, specifically for my fanfic stuff, would any of you be interested in following me so we can chat? I love interacting with you all... lemme know!
> 
> If kudos and comments aren’t your thing, however, it’s cool! Just happy to have you here and thank you for reading so many chapters! 
> 
> Peace and love, Kitty kats xoxo (is kitty kats here to stay? I need a name for y’all).

Hiding from 6 persistent people is difficult.

Yachi loves her new friends - she really does! - but trying to avoid them (while also avoiding her apartment and Suzumeda, for obvious reasons) is difficult!

Yachi spent a good portion of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning debating whether or not she should just go about things as normal and let her friends find out about the black eye and bust lip or not, but ultimately decided against it.

She’s made a decision to be better than Akaashi and Suzumeda and she is sticking to it. To reveal her face to the volleyball squad... she knows they wouldn’t just accept it and leave it alone - they are far too protective for that... which is something she appreciates greatly, but knows will only make things worse. Because if she tells them, not only will she be outing Akaashi’s feelings for Bokuto, but also admitting that what happened to her was partially his fault. 

And that wont go down well.

Determined not to cause a rift between her friends - or at least, not a bigger one than has already been created - Yachi, with the help of Kenma, begins ‘Operation: hide and seek’, ensuring that she avoids the guys at all costs, while still contacting them enough for Oikawa not to panic and call the police again.

With a few close calls - seriously? Waiting outside my lecture hall, Bokuto? - and a whole lot of stress, while also trying to finish her final two assignments from the fortnight from hell, Yachi succeeds, which leads us to the present, 10 days later.

Once again, Yachi stands staring up at a, now slightly more familiar gym, arm linked with Saeko’s as Asahi and Akiteru trail behind them, smiling brightly in anticipation.

It’s finally here!

A cloth banner hangs over her forearm with a supportive message painted on it, Yachi fiddling with the material due to both nerves and excitement, ready to cheer on her best friend - Yamaguchi.

And yes, it is in fact Yamaguchi she will be cheering for, along with Akiteru - the traitors, Saeko claims - since she has known him longer and unlike Tsukishima, he is well aware that she will be in the stands and is looking forward to seeing her.

Heading into the arena, bright lights shine down on her face, finally bare from makeup. It had taken almost the whole 10 days for her bust lip to heal, the black eye clearing up within 5. It was getting to the point where Yachi was worried she would have to cancel attending the game to keep it a secret. How stressful! Thankfully, it cleared up fully the day before and she was able to prepare for her second ever volleyball game.

Running up the stairs, tripping and stumbling after the energetic Saeko, Yachi giggles with joy. She’s missed her friends dearly and is finally going to be seeing another member of their highschool quintet after so many weeks apart.

Dashing to the rail, Yachi sees they are in the same seats as before, Iwaizumi already seated, bags and items of clothing reserving the other seats for them.

Smiling brightly, Yachi skips to his side, before plopping down and leaning onto his shoulder. “Hi Iwaizumi!” She shouts happily over the din, heartbeat racing as she finally gets to see her friend again.

Smirking down at her, Iwaizumi ruffles her hair fondly, which is half up, half down today in an attempt to keep it somewhat tamed during her cheering later. 

“Hello little lady.”

Squeaking in embarrassment, she pulls away, face blossoming at the endearment, “I’m not that little!”

“Yes you are—”

“Are you kidding me—”

“Don’t lie Toka-chan—”

The others all call, matching grins on their faces, Asahi making eye contact with her from the end of the line with a gentle shake of his head in exasperation. Just go with it and know you have my sympathy, it seems to say.

She gives up on pretending to frown pretty quickly, mouth turning upwards without permission as she basks in the friendly atmosphere, only now realising just how stressful the past 10 days have been without the companionship of her friends. Shoulders dropping, she once again lays her head on her friend’s arm, content to relax and chat until the game starts.

They converse for a good 15 minutes, before Iwaizumi pulls away from her touch, his phone pinging loudly over the noise from the crowd, notifications flooding in, in quick succession. Glancing down at his phone, he gives an irritated sigh, it’s intimidation undone by the undertone of fondness running through it.

“Everything alright, Iwaizumi?” Yachi asks with concern.

He turns to her startled, as if shocked she would notice such a small thing, before a dangerous grin overtakes his face, the elder slinging an arm around her shoulder to pull her in, causing her to rest her hand on his impressive pecs so that she doesn’t fall right into his lap.

“Yeah, it’s all good. Hey Yachi, smile!” He comments, holding out his phone infront of their faces, giving a small side smirk - one that would rival Kuroo’s - to the camera. Yachi quickly beams in return, realising what’s happening.

A quick snap is heard, before Iwaizumi pulls the phone in close again, not removing his arm from around her shoulders, rather, keeping her pulled in tight. Settling into the sensation, Yachi allows herself to be held as she so rarely is, titling her head down to see the screen.

The picture is cute, Yachi’s body posture relaxed, leaning into him as her eyes crinkle out of existence with the force of her brilliant smile. It’s dorky and cute and she loves it. Once more, pings begin to flood the phone as Iwaizumi pulls out of the photo and into what looks to be a group chat.

Messages flood in from nicknames she doesn’t recognise, and one she does.

Gaylaxy: IS THAT MY ANGEL-CHAN?! 

Gaylaxy: MEANNNN! 

Gaylaxy: STOP STEALING HER I SAW HER FIRST!!

Giggling at the messages from Oikawa, she takes the phone from Iwaizumi’s hands and quickly snaps another photo, this time of her scrunching up her face and sticking her tongue out, quickly adding a message before sending it and handing the phone back with a happy hum.

Gottagofast: Shouldn’t you be getting ready? Also Iwaizumi has better arms to cuddle than you do, so I’M stealing HIM! (づ￣ ³￣)づ

Looking at the phone, it takes Iwaizumi a second, before his body starts shaking with deep belly laughs, ignoring his pinging phone, to turn and smile at the girl in his arms. 

“Man, Mattsun and Makki are gonna love you.”

“Who?” 

Yachi’s question never gets answered, however, as the crowd suddenly goes wild. The double doors below have swung open to reveal a tall, brunette sauntering out into the arena with a stern look on his face. 

Yachi would never normally describe someone’s walk as a ‘saunter’, but that’s what this man is doing. Gait long, arms loose and easy, head held high... he looks like he owns the entire place!

Following suit the rest of the team joins. This must be Yama’s team, Yachi thinks, body jumping up onto it’s tippy toes without conscious thought, head craning and twisting, searching for...

There! A green cowlick comes into view. Marching forward with his head held high in confidence is Yamaguchi, the constellation of freckles on his face becoming clearer with every step in her direction - though Yachi knows she could draw the pattern by heart if asked, knowing her best friend’s beauty marks like the back of her hand. 

Jumping up and down, she waves her arms ecstatically, before remembering the folded material she shoved under her seat when she sat down. Quickly bending to retrieve it, she hops back up with a grin, unfolding it to hold between her upstretched arms as high as she can. 

She knows when the boy finally notices her as his face and ears flood pink, a giant smile to match her own growing across his face, giving her a thumbs up in approval. The ‘Go Yamaguchi’ banner is a success!

A shoulder knocks into hers, causing her to bring the banner down and turn to her friend in question. Iwaizumi points his arm at two older boys walking a couple of people ahead of Yamaguchi. “THAT is Mattsun and Makki.”

She recognises them, she realises with a start. Those are the two that friended me when I went awol! The ones that went to highschool with Iwaizumi and Oikawa! Nodding her head in understanding, she turns to observe the boys in person.

Mattsun, AKA. Issei Matsukawa is tall, with dark hair and - even from her place in the stands - noticeably thick eyebrows. He’s currently ribbing the other with his elbow, the shorter, pink-haired boy donning a sly smirk, mouth opening in what she can only assume is a scathing retort. That, she remembers, is Takahiro Hanamaki, Oikawa mentioning his cutting tongue and wit in more than one anecdote. 

She is leaning over the rail to get a better look at the other team when the stadium erupts into applause, causing her to startle and quickly pull back, whipping her head back to the doors just in time to see Kuroo walk through, hand held up to the crowd in some kind of suave greeting.

Shit. He’s hot.

Objectively, Yachi has known this fact from the moment she first approached him in the library all those weeks ago, however, knowing she now has a crush on the older boy... well it changes things. The roaring crowd of ladies doesn’t help...

Feeling her heartrate increase, Yachi quickly averts her eyes just in time to meet those belonging to a certain grey-haired owl. Bokuto’s “hey hey hey!” can be heard from across the floor, causing Yachi’s face to light up in a grin, the blonde pumping her fist in the air in return, adrenaline now coursing through her body. 

The warm-ups pass by in a blur, Yachi meeting her friends’ eyes on multiple occasions as they all suss out where their cheering squad are situated in the stands, getting a smirk and a wave from Kuroo that DOES NOT make her chest flutter, thank you very much! Tanaka and Noya perform some kind of handstand/yoga pose duo that cracks her and her friends up, Saeko shouting for her brother to stop showing off for the ladies, which causes a very loud and very public squabble to ensue - one that the referee has to put an end to using far too much whistling. She even gets a friendly wave from Terushima, making her wonder if Tsukki has said anything to him about their chat. Hmmm. She needs to ask him about that later.

Before she knows it, the teams are lined up at the sides, standing infront of the crowd. Yachi gets a strong sense of deja-vu as once again Bokuto calls out to her, flexing his biceps as he shouts, “watch me, Yacchan! I’m gonna win the first point of this match!” Before being hip-checked by Oikawa, who gives her a playful glare, turning to walk onto the court with a sway in his hips, sticking his tongue out in retaliation to the photograph she sent the group chat.

Yamaguchi stands to the side of the court as the players all bow to one another - “he’s a pinch server, so he only goes in when needed,” Iwaizumi explains - before straightening up and getting into position. 

Adrenaline floods through Yachi’s veins as she grips the railing in anticipation, UoT serving first. Oikawa breathes in so deeply that she can see his chest heaving as he holds the ball out ahead of him, eyes closed in concentration. A whistle blows and his breath flows out into the now silent arena... 

Chocolate eyes snap open as the ball flies through the air with a thunderous crack. 

The first point goes to University of Tokyo.

•••

It’s a close match, Yamaguchi being called in multiple times. Yachi watches on in awe as her gentle, soft-spoken friend dons a confident mask, winning point after point for his team - saving their asses on more than one occasion.

But ultimately, it’s not enough.

The cacophony of sound that rises when University of Tokyo - the Tokyo Tigers - wins is unbelievable, Yachi breaking her promise to only cheer for Yamaguchi as she shouts herself hoarse along with the rest of her friends.

Turns out Tokyo and Kyoto Universities have a longstanding rivalry, which is why there was such a huge crowd turnout for the Kyoto team. Knowing this, and having seen the standard to which Ushijima plays at - she is still in awe that Tsukishima was able to block one of those spikes without breaking his hand! - Yachi is so proud of her best friend for being good enough to be acknowledged by such a prestigious team and player (apparently Ushijima is being scouted for the next Olympic team).

In a display not unlike the one 3 weeks ago, Saeko hauls Yachi behind her as they race ahead of the crowds, the younger laughing in her attempts to keep up as she knows where they are now headed, the final dregs of excitement from the match still running through her limbs, legs pounding against the floor as she runs to where she knows her friends are waiting for her. 

Turning the corner she doesn’t wait for Saeko to throw open the doors this time, instead racing through hot on her heels to tackle Yamaguchi into her best imitation of a bear hug. 

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh, Yams! That was amazing! I’m so proud of you!” She squeals, face buried within her friend’s chest. While she would never say she is closer to any one of her friends from high school than the others, it is well known within the group that she and Yamaguchi have the most similar energy - not being as upbeat as hinata, nor as down as Kageyama and Tsukki - the two being so similar that they can’t help but get along. As such, seeing her friend open up on the court, becoming a stronger and more confident person was awe-inspiring, neither of them having that kind of persona in high school.

A chuckle from above brings a smile to her face, warm arms wrapping around her tightly as her friend replies, “hello to you too Yachi!”

Peering up at him, she gives a gigantic grin, unable to contain her enthusiasm. “Hi!”

“I take it you enjoyed it then?” Yamaguchi asks, taking a step back to ruffle her hair, eyes flickering upwards to notice the looks being sent their way by the others. “Erm... Yachi?”

“What?” She asks, turning around to see what has caught his attention, before groaning dramatically, “oh, not again! Yes, Yamaguchi and I know eachother. Yes, we went to highschool together, along with Tsukishima. NO, I do not have a crush on him,” she states loudly, throwing a playful glare at the Tanaka siblings, “and yes, he will be coming to stay at mine after this - any questions?”

The confident, playful speech renders most of her friends gobsmacked - who is this and what have they done with Yachi? - most of them not having seen her for the better part of two weeks. Silence reigns supreme for a moment, before a joking voice cuts through the air.

“Hmmm, staying at yours, eh?”

“Wonder if we could get an invite too...”

“It would CERTAINLY make the night more interesting...”

“Better than staying in a damn hotel, thats for sure!”

Tuning her head towards the two voices bantering back and forth, Yachi makes eye contact with pink-haired Takahiro, who gives her a sly wink, right as Oikawa raps a fist over the back of his head.

“NO ONE WILL BE STAYING WITH MY YACCHAN!” He shouts, voice breaking slightly towards the end, causing Mattsun and Makki to snigger, much to Oikawa’s despair.

Yamaguchi raises his hand - with what to others looks like genuine confusion, but Yachi knows to be his fake ‘gomen Tsukki’ look - saying, “actually... I’m pretty sure I WILL be staying with Hitoka... we already arranged it,” face wobbling slightly in an attempt to maintain the serious look when Oikawa lets out a scandalised screech.

“My baby’s delicate sensibilities!” He cries, draping over Makki’s shoulder, only to be roughly knocked away with another snigger.

Giggling to herself, Yachi calls out, “sorry Oikawa! But we want to catch up, and after the nightmare that was Karaoke...” she lets her sentence trail off with meaning.

Sobering up slightly, he gives her a nod, before sending a threatening glare towards Yamaguchi, “you had better keep your hands to yourself freckles.”

“OIKAWA TOORU!” Yachi cries, so shocked by his words, she automatically calls out his first name.

“OOOOH!”

“Bro.”

“Dude.”

“Fam.”

“Pal.”

“You just got ‘full-named,” Matsukawa laughs, lazy grin goading Oikawa into a response as Hanamaki giggles in the background, the rest of the room silent still as they watch the drama unfold like a highly entertaining tennis match.

Figuring now is as good of a chance as they will get, Yachi tugs on Yamaguchi’s sleeve, before leaning up to whisper in his ear, “go now, while everyone is distracted. I’ll meet you out front!”

Nodding in understanding, Yamaguchi slides away into the changing rooms as Yachi slowly inches her way around the edge of the room, no longer paying attention to the conversation behind her. She’s almost at the door when she feels a presence beside her, wincing.

Turning, her eyes widen in shock as she stares back at Kuroo, who holds a finger up to his lips, Bokuto bouncing on his toes behind him. Pulling her the rest of the way out the room, they slip down a side hallway, peering behind them to see if anyone noticed their retreat, before letting out matching sighs of relief.

Tilting her head back, she smiles at her friends. She really has missed them this week!

“Hey guys!” She whisper shouts, “how have you been? The game was awesome!”

“Wasn’t it just?!” Bokuto replies, voice much louder than hers in the empty hallway, causing the three to wince awkwardly, “oops! Sorry!”

“Damn it, Bo,” Kuroo sighs, frustration betrayed by the slight smirk on his lips, “can’t you be quiet for 2 damn minutes?”

“Hey!” Yachi defends, “he was able to be silent all the way out of that room! I’m proud of him!” She says, nodding her head thoroughly to drive home the point.

“Thanks, Yacchan!” Bokuto beams, “how did you enjoy the game? Did you see me win it?? Didja?!” 

“I did...” she smiles, remembering his amazing rebound that won the final game, “however, I also remember you telling me you would win the FIRST point of the game, but that was Oikawa with a service ace,” she teases.

Kuroo cackles at her playfulness and Bo’s whines, the latter dragging his hands through his hair in dejection as he moans, “I know! I totally thought I’d get it, too! Oikawa stole it out from under me!”

Laughing at her friend’s antics, she can’t help but jump forwards, pulling the two into a quick, tight hug.

“I’ve missed you guys!”

Twin arms wrap round her back as two voices reply, “we’ve missed you too,” causing her to cling on just that little bit harder. 

Yeah. She’s glad she didn’t tell them about Suzumeda. She might not have this if she did - and this? It’s worth 100 slaps to the face and uncomfortable confrontations. 

Tearing up at her thoughts, Yachi pulls away quickly, brushing at her eyes discreetly. Smiling up at the two, she turns to Kuroo who hasn’t said much since they left the room. “What about you?”

“Huh?”

“The game! Did you enjoy it?”

A genuine smile comes over his face as he stares down at her. Fuck, she really cares about whether or not I had fun playing a damn volleyball game, is this girl for real?

“Yeah, Kitten. I enjoyed it. I’ll always enjoy slamming down one of Ushijima’s fabled ‘unstoppable spikes,’” he grins.

Both he and Bokuto pull back in surprise when a matching grin crosses Yachi’s face, making the girl look almost bloodthirsty. “Unstoppable my ass!” She claims, causing their mouths to fall open in shock, before mutual laughter bursts free, neither of them used to Yachi speaking so freely - an after-effect from watching her old friend play, the girl so comfortable in his presence that she’s let her guard down without even realising it.

A cleared throat behind them makes the three jump, before Yachi gives a cry of “Yama! You’re ready!” Spotting the green-haired boy at the end of the hallway, along with Akiteru. Giving him a quick smile, she turns back to her new friends, lifting her hand in an awkward, but extremely endearing wave, Kuroo’s face reddening at the sight of it. “Sorry guys! I’ve got to go - but I’ll see you next week, yeah?” She calls out, jogging backwards as she does so, heading to Akiteru’s side, who has graciously agreed to drive her and Yamaguchi home.

“Awww! You’re leaving already?!” Bokuto calls, face downcast in a pout, making her giggle and nod her head. “I’ll pick you up from your lecture on monday! DON’T run away from me this time!”

Laughing loudly now at his petulant joke, she agrees readily, before dragging Akiteru and Yamaguchi down the hall by their elbows, vaguely catching Kuroo’s quiet, “she ran away from you, bro?” as she leaves, face twisting as she hoping that line of questioning won’t come up in the future.

Hopping down the steps, she leads them out of the building, towards where she knows Akiteru is parked, smiling with joy at finally having her freckled friend back.

•••

Twisting the key in the keyhole, Yachi stumbles into the flat, laughing at Yamaguchi’s Kageyama impression, the other having played he and Hinata’s university 3 weeks earlier. She found out earlier in the night from Iwaizumi - her handy guide to everything volleyball - that university teams have official games against eachother every 3 weeks, along with playing in tournaments in winter and the end of spring. 

Not paying much attention to her surroundings, a throat clearing from the right causes her to jump, spinning in turn to see Yukie and Suzumeda sending her matching glares from the dining table. Eyes widening in surprise when Yamaguchi follows her into the flat, giving them both awkward smiles.

“Errr, who is that?!” Yukie asks, voice high pitched and whining.

“O-Oh, this is Yamaguchi, my friend from high school! He—”

“Wait,” Suzumeda interrupts, “you mean you had ACTUAL friends in high school?”

Flushing in shame, Yachi turns to stare at the floor, hand gripping Yamaguchi’s sleeve to pull him down the hallway to her room.

“What’s that supposed to mean..?” He questions, resisting her pull, face downturning in a frown of confusion.

“Well-,” Suzumeda stutters, surprised that the timid looking boy questioned her, “she’s a bit... weird.”

“Not any weirder than you...”

“All she does is hang out at the library or in her room!” Yukie bursts out, hands slapping against the table. Apparently she has stronger feelings towards Yachi than the girl realised.

“So? That doesn’t mean she’s weird... it means she’s a good student...” Yamaguchi continues, unperturbed by their attitude, calmly questioning their assumptions.

The two girls stare at the boy in silence, as if he has grown a new head. Not willing to give them a chance to regain their composure, Yachi gives a hard tug, whispering a quiet, “c’mon Yams,” to her friend, finally managing to drag him away to her room.

Shutting the door behind them, she leans against the door, letting out her held breath quietly.

“Yachi... what was that?”

“What was what?” Yachi replies, forcing her voice to be peppy and bright, even as she keeps her eyes trained on the wooden grain of her floor.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Yamaguchi states, bite in his voice.

Looking up at the harsh tone of her friend, Yachi balks to see such a hard look in his eyes. “Yama...”

“No, Yachi. What WAS that?! You just LET them say those things!”

“I-I know! But Yama... I live with her! And Yukie is over so often, she may as well live here too! I-If we fight, then I will still have to see her all the time. It’s better to just let it go.”

“What’s the worst that could happen—”

“She hit me!” Yachi bursts out, eyes quickly widening in fear as she slaps her hands over her mouth, as if to take back the words she just spewed out.

Silence ensues for the next 30 seconds, the two friends staring at eachother in wide-eyes shock.

“She... hit you?!” Yamaguchi manages to choke out.

“It’s not like she PUNCHED me or anything! It was just a slap, and I said some mean—”

“JUST A SLAP?!”

“Y-Yeah. We were fighting...”

“Yachi...” Yamaguchi stops, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, before blowing out a heavy breath. Making eye contact with her, his brown eyes beseeching, he cautiously continues, “you know it’s not okay that she hit you, right?”

“I-I know that! Of course I know that! It’s just...”

“What is it, Yachi?” 

Yachi begins to feel her eyes welling up, cursing her overly emotional self. “It’s just I haven’t told anyone but Kenma, a-and we haven’t talked about it since. Everything is so... GOOD right now! If I talk about it, it will ruin everything,” she finishes, head once again bowed in shame.

The room is silent again for a moment, before she feels strong, comforting arms wrapping around her, pulling her away from her rest against the door. She hadn’t realised how tight her body was wound, ready to flee at a moments notice. 

“WHY ON EARTH, would telling people about it ruin things?!” Yamaguchi whispers fiercely, hands gripping her waist tightly.

“B-Because then I’d have to e-explain why Suzumeda and I were fighting and p-people would have to t-take sides,” she stutters.

“Take sides?” Yamaguchi pulls away from her to peer into her eyes, seeing the tears that are brimming there. Pulling her over to the bed, he sits her down, before asking, “why would anyone have to take sides?”

And so, for the second time, Yachi spills. She tells him about Akaashi and Bokuto and Suzumeda and Yukie, going into more detail about how her flatmate has been treating her than she did with Kenma. She explains her fear that her new friends will think she’s tearing their group apart and that she has ruined things for Akaashi and Bokuto, talking about her worry that everyone will split and take sides and she will once again be left with no one. 

The two slowly graduate to lying down on the bed, Yamaguchi holding her close as she sobs, finally getting out all of the negativity she’s been carrying around for the past 10 days, too afraid of Suzumeda to let herself be vulnerable in the flat. 

“Jeez, Hitoka. That’s been going on this whole time?” At her nod he continues, “why didn’t you tell any of us? I mean, I get why you didn’t talk to the guys here about it - but us? We wouldn’t have judged you.”

“I know you wouldn’t have...” she answers, pausing to think, trying to put her thoughts into words, “it’s like... I’d lost. Like I was still middle school Yachi. I came back to Tokyo to prove I was over it, you know? And then my very first day, I become a doormat to my flatmate. I wanted a fresh start! I’m hardly the kind of person to go looking for a fight, so I just let the room thing slide... then one thing led to another and BOOM! Doormat Yachi. It was just easier to pretend it was all going over my head and that it didn’t affect me, because what if I fought it and it got worse? 

“Then I met Kuroo, and everything got better for a while. He introduced me to everyone and I just seemed to fit! Like a missing jigsaw piece... but it turns out that when I got put in, they had to take Akaashi’s piece out. And then I had the two weeks from hell - I mean, SERIOUSLY? 6 ASSIGNMENTS?! - and everything came crashing down at one. The beautiful picture I had of the next 3 years was suddenly ruined... but I figured if I just ignored it, I could pretend it was still fine; that it wasn’t all torn to pieces...” she finishes with a sniffle.

“Oh ‘Toka. I’m so sorry you’ve had to go through this... but you have us. We don’t care about what did or didn’t happen in the past - we know the you from NOW, and we are all pretty fond of her,” he says, giving her a playful nudge, making her giggle. “I understand why you wanted to ignore it, but it’s making you miserable - I mean you said yourself, ignoring your friends the past 10 days has been really stressful and bad for your mental health!” 

“I know, but what am I supposed to do?”

He sighs, raking a hand through his now mussed hair, “you need to be honest with yourself... and with the others.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean... are you happy, Hitoka? As in, when you’re on your own and no one else is influencing you; are you happy?”

“... n-no,” she whispers, tears bleeding into her pillow.

“Then what would you need to change to make yourself happy?”

“I-I’d need to... stop being a doormat?” She answers hesitantly.

“Good. What else?”

“A-And probably stop living with Suzumeda all together...”

“Okay, so finding somewhere else to live is on the list.”

“L-List?”

“Yep!” Yamaguchi says, voice brighter than it was before, “a list of things we can do to make you happier!”

“But I can’t just move!”

“Why not?”

“Because my mam gives me my allowance and I have a 12 month contract here... I can’t afford to go anywhere else...”

“Is there not someone you could stay with?”

“T-There’s only Kuroo and the others, but Akaashi lives with them and I wouldn’t do that to him,” she mutters.

“Well... we’ll think about that one more later... but I’m sure there’s some kind of solution we aren’t seeing yet!”

Encouraged by her friend’s enthusiasm, Yachi nods her head fiercely in agreement. Right! It’s not the end of the world. Baby steps.

“Okay, so. The list is 1) Stand up to Suzumeda if she gives you shit again, and 2) find somewhere else to live... hmm, what else?” 

“E-Erm... I’d like to make up with A-Akaashi, if possible.”

“Yeah?” Her friend questions, turning to giver her his full attention.

“Mhmm! He’s their friend, and Bokuto is crazy in love with him so... I’ve been stupid thinking that if I ignored it, everything would just sort itself out. We have to make up if I want to stay friends with everyone.”

“Well, I don’t think that’s necessarily true...” Yamaguchi ponders, “It’s not a case where they can only be friends with one of you at a time, you know? I think you would be surprised just how many of them would continue to be normal with you if they found out... I mean, look at Kenma!”

“I know... it’s just... what if?! Y’know?”

“Well, why don’t we make that number 3 on the list?”

“Make what number 3?”

“Telling them about what happened.”

“O-Oh no! I couldn’t possibly! I promised myself I wouldn’t throw Akaashi under the bus like that—”

“It’s not about throwing Akaashi under the bus, Yachi. It’s about being honest with yourself and your friends. It’s eating you up inside hiding this from them - I can see it! - and for as long as you are wondering ‘when are they going to find out? When will they stop being friends with me?’ Then you will never be able to fully trust in them and lean on them for support.”

Shocked by the outburst, Yachi puzzles over it silently, before agreeing with her friend. He’s right. Subconsciously, she’s been holding them all at arms length this whole time. She can see - especially thanks to seeing Yamaguchi today - how she’s much more open and emotionally available with her highschool friends - which yes, is largely due to them knowing each other longer, but it’s also due to her own lack of confidence and trust in others.

“You’re right. But, how am I going to tell them?”

“I don’t know, that’s up to you. You’ll find a way, Hitoka - you’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

Smiling and blushing at the compliment, she snuggles into her friend more, the other opening up for her readily. “Okay then. So, how many things is that on the to-do list?”

“Erm... 4. Stand up to Suzumeda. Find somewhere else to live. Tell the guys about what happened with Akaashi AND Suzumeda,” he emphasises, giving Yachi a knowing look, “and finally, make up with Akaashi... you should probably add ‘talk to your mother’ to that list as well. I imagine you’ll need to for moving house anyways.”

Sighing in acknowledgment, Yachi let’s out a soft, “yeah, okay,” before finally going still, voice hoarse from using it so much in one night. 

The two lie in companionable silence for a while, each mulling over their own thoughts, when Yamaguchi’s phone buzzes, causes them both to jump in shock. They each release a little giggle, the tension from before draining out of their bodies as they laugh at the absurdity of it.

It doesn’t last long, however, as Yachi feels her friend’s body tighten up beside her. Looking over the boy is typing furiously on his phone, evidently going back and forth with whoever is on the other end, before he lets out a loud groan, hand smacking against his forehead.

“What is it?” She asks, hesitantly.

He heaves a deep sigh, before turning to face her, freckles illuminated by the light of his phone screen. “Mattsun and Makki said for you to meet them at the subway station tomorrow at noon. Apparently they want to see you.”

“...HUH?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey peeps! 
> 
> I hope you were happy with this chapter... I know a lot of you were excited to see Kuroo and Co’s reactions to her black eye, but I hope you all understand why I decided to put it off. Fret not, as she promised to Yamaguchi, she will definitely be telling them about it soon, but I thought it would go against her character to let them see something like that, when she herself sees it as something so shameful? My poor girl’s mental health is in the gutter at this point - BUT! Thanks to YamaGUCCI, my girl is addressing her problems and growing as a person instead of relying on others for happiness and distractions! 
> 
> I know you all don’t know much about me, but I struggled severely with bad depression and anxiety for many of my teenage years and one of the main lessons I had to learn was that you should never rely on others to make you happy - because it isn’t fair on you OR them. True happiness must first come from yourself, and Yachi is going to get there eventually - just with a bit of help along the way. 
> 
> I want to try and use this fic to spread positive messages and coping mechanisms to depression and anxiety, while also saying that it’s okay to not get things right sometimes. Failure is a part of life - for everyone - and that’s okay, it’s what makes us human. As long as we are willing to try, we will continue to move forwards and grow as people.
> 
> I love you all and hope you are staying happy and healthy xoxo


	22. Time For Demons Like Us To Crawl Out Of The Woodwork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! So, a couple of things to talk about so PLEASE READ ME!!!
> 
> First of all, I was going to wait until tomorrow/ Thu to post this, but I just saw that I have 300 KUDOS ON THIS FIC!! PEOPLE!! I cant believe it... thank you all so much!
> 
> My second piece of information is that from now on I am going to be trying to post twice a week - once in the middle and once on the weekend - and I REALLY dont want anyone to miss any chapters because they didnt realise there was an update <3 
> 
> I like the poetry of finishing this fic on the date I posted my first ever chapter, which was August 4th 2019... so that’s our goal my babes! We’re in the endgame now ;) 
> 
> Another point is that at some point this week I will be making an instagram to interact with you all - because comments just dont cut it! - so I will link that in the chapter I upload at the weekend. Theres no pressure to follow or anything, I just figured somewhere we could chat if you have any questions you dont want to put in the comments would be nice :) let me know if you’re interested!!
> 
> I think that’s all for now... I hope you enjoy this chapter and aren’t mad about the... new elements revealed about a certain relationship *wink wink* 
> 
> *hint: it’s not what you think*
> 
> I love you all, if you read this, please drop me a comment so I know you wont be missing chapters, I’ll also post a similar update in the weekend notes. Love you all, peace out Kitty Kats xoxo

An alarm blaring and an arm whacking her in the face is all it takes for Yachi to wake up the next morning.

If by wake up, you mean flail about before falling out of bed in shock.

A small “oof!” leaves Yachi’s lips as she lies on the cold, wooden floorboards, staring at her swirly ceiling in confusion, the foreign alarm still blaring in the background. This goes on for quiet some time, swears and groans coming from above her. She has half a mind to panic that it’s actually the fire alarm going off, body tensing in fright, before the sound is finally shut off with a deep sigh and a “thank christ!”

A body can be heard flopping back down onto the bed covers, causing Yachi to giggle, lost in that haze between sleep and wakefulness where everything is inconsequential. 

Green spikes, suddenly appear over the edge of the bed like a hesitant meerkat, before splutters of laughter join her own. 

“You alright down there, Hitoka?” Yamaguchi stutters between sniggers, “need a hand getting free?”

Confusion washes over her. ‘Get free?’ She wonders, looking about, before realising that half of her body is still held aloft, wrapped in the blanket, like some cheap imitation of the little mermaid.

Giggling again, she tries, unsuccessfully, to wiggle free, breathless from the mix of exertion and laughter. 3 minutes go by in this fashion, the blonde flopping about like a fish, tears streaming down her face as silent laughter wracks her body, Yamaguchi being no help as he films the entire thing to send to their group chat. 

Eventually giving up she looks to her friend in desperation, flinging her hands towards him in a grabbing motion, silently asking for help since she’s still caught in the throes of near-hysterical laughter and therefore unable to speak beyond wheezing.

Putting the phone away, he heaves her back onto the bed - blanket and all - and together they begin unravelling the mess. It takes another minute or two for Yachi to finally free herself, gasping heavily and leaning on her friend for support.

“What a mess,” she chokes out, “I can’t believe that actually happened! What even was that noise?”

“...”

“...”

“... OH SHIT!” Yamaguchi shouts, before racing from the bed, Yachi’s body falling once again as she loses her support, just barely catching herself from tipping off the bed for a second time.

Turning with a huff of air that rustles her fringe, she watches as her friend rushes around the room, gathering clothes and volleyball gear. Oh. 

OH!

Scrambling up, she picks up a bunch of clothes and throws them his way. “Go in the shower! Quickly! I’ll finish packing for you!”

The other shoots her a grateful smile, before rushing into the ensuite with a cry of, “what time is it?!”

Head turning rapidly, she locates her phone on the bed. Diving for it, her eyes widen as she replies, “10:32!”

Shit! The alarm had been set the night before for 10:15, since the other’s train back was leaving at 11am. He had been planning on showering when he got in, but with everything that happened the night before, and then just general catching up - and NO she did not tell him about her embarrassing crush on a certain middle blocker, that information is reserved for Tsukishima who has an equally embarrassing crush on a certain wing spiker - they both agreed to get up earlier in the morning and shower then instead. The only problem with that is they just spent the past 15 minutes wheezing like 60 year olds with nicotine addictions, instead of actually getting ready.

Yachi flies about the room like a whirlwind, collecting her friend’s belongings - why does he have so many socks and why are they all over my floor?! - and shoving them into his bags. Seriously, who needs 3 bags for a one night trip? She can practically hear him in her head saying, ‘you never know when you might need an extra pair of socks, Yachi!’

Huffing a laugh, she scans the room for his phone, finding it on the second shelf of her bookshelf. Checking the battery on it - 92% awesome, she zips it into his jacket pocket and sweeps the room for anything she might have missed. Satisfied that she’s caught every stray sock, she begins to yank her own items of clothing from the wardrobe. 

Oh, wait! She’s meeting Makki and Mattsun! Hmm... what’s appropriate clothing to meet them in? Tilting her head in thought, she darts out into the corridor to check the kitchen window. She sky is cloudy, but doesn’t look like it’s going to rain - jumper weather.

Hopping back into her room, she pulls on some grey, acid-wash jeans and a pastel pink vest top, followed by a baggy, white jumper with pastel paint stains all over it - yes, she did it herself, and yes it was deliberate. Yachi really likes painting on her clothes - sue her, canvases are expensive! White doc martins finish the look, the girl quickly brushing out her hair, before throwing it into a messy bun with the fringe left out. 

That will have to be good enough, she thinks, because at that moment Yamaguchi comes storming out of the bathroom wearing a floaty, yellow crop top. Yachi’s laughter starts anew as she splutters out, “wait, wait! Hang on, I can find your top! It’s in one of these bags somewhere,” turning to dig around, but she’s interrupted.

“No time!” Yamaguchi shouts, and checking her phone quickly, she realises he’s right. 10:46 and a 15 minute walk to the station... it’s a good thing they are both fit.

Grabbing his hoodie, Yamaguchi doesn’t even bother to zip it up, before picking up two of the bags as Yachi steals the third and her handbag. In unison they dart out of the door, Yachi quickly twisting to lock the flat behind her, and they are off.

Yamaguchi sets a medium-paced jog for them both, before Yachi takes the lead, guiding them to the train station next to the university. Damn, running with Hinata and Kageyama in the mornings really pays off at times like this!

They make it to the station with 5 minutes to spare, quickly locating his platform and racing down. Spotting his team they slow, both slightly winded, sweat lining their brows. Noticing Oikawa and Iwaizumi, Yachi’s brow lifts in surprise, before she tugs on Yamaguchi’s jacket and begins leading him to where they are standing.

It takes a moment for them to emerge from the crowd and be noticed, but when they do, it isn’t Yachi that they pay attention to, Makki’s eyebrow arching as he jests, “that’s a bit of a fashion statement, Yamaguchi!”

Mattsun, turning to see what his friend is talking about, notices and joins in, “eyy lad! Rocking the yellow! Really shows off those tight abs of yours,” he laughs with a wink.

Flushing, but not one to back down in the face of sarcasm, Yamaguchi bites back, “certainly rocking it better than you could, Issei. Figured I’d take it off Yachi’s hands for a while, since I look so good in it.”

The two burst out in laughter, before walking over to swing their arms around his shoulders, caging his body between them. “Oho, now. What have you done with our sweet Kouhai?” Mattsun asks, turning to address Yachi with a wicked grin.

“M-Me?” She squeaks.

“Yes, you,” Makki hisses from his other side, “our little Yama would never talk back to us like that normally.”

At this, Yachi meets Yamaguchi’s eye with a snort. “Then you clearly don’t know him well enough yet,” she retort, “because he’s spent his entire life being friends with Tsukishima, so if you think he’s NOT sassy...” she trails off, knowing her point has been made clear as the two’s eyes widen in understanding.

Ribbing Yamaguchi lightly, a genuine grin crosses Mattsun’s face as he jokes, “ohhh, you’ve been holding out on us, have you Yamaguchi-kun!” 

“Lying to your senpai’s isn’t very nice,” Makki chimes in.

A horn sounds and Yamaguchi looks to see the train pulling up, quickly wriggling from the elders’ grasps before they can continue their teasing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says smugly, pulling Yachi into his arms for a tight hug, leaning down to whisper, “thanks for letting me stay over. Don’t forget about the list, okay? I’ll be checking in.” Pulling back he looks her in the eyes, before leaning forwards to plant a soft kiss on her round cheek, “I love you. Message me if anything else happens, yeah?”

Nodding silently, chest aching at the thought of her friend leaving so soon, she pulls back, only to bump into a hard chest. Twisting to look back, she feels arms snaking around her waist as he stares into the hazel eyes of Iwaizumi. Grateful for the support, she gives him a warm smile and turns back to watch her friend board the train.

It takes a moment for her to realise that Mattsun and Makki are not boarding the train with her friend. “A-Are you not going to get on? You’ll miss it!”

Twin offended looks are sent her way as the two start up their back and forth banter again.

“Is she trying to get rid of us?”

“I think she’s trying to get rid of us!”

“How rude.”

“The rudest.”

“I thought Oikawa said she was an angel?”

“Doesn’t seem like an angel to me.”

Spluttering at their commentary, she tries to apologise through her laughter. Finally, some people where she knows they are joking. The sarcastic humour of Kuroo and Kenma sometimes goes over her head, often causing her to apologise for no reason, so this blatant joking is like a breath of fresh air.

A quick rap to the back of their heads from Iwaizumi stops their banter, each letting out pathetic whines that cause Yachi’s giggles to heighten, garnering attention from the two, their faces slackening.

Makki is the first to recover, straightening and turning to address Oikawa who she finds has come to stand on her left. “Damn, you weren’t kidding, Tooru. Pretty sure my dodgy shoulder just healed itself.”

“My sinuses are clear,” Mattsun says in apparent agreement.

Lost and confused, Yachi tries for a winning smile, not wanting the conversation to devolve into bickering once more as she tries again, “so... you two are staying for a while?”

“Yep,” the two say in tandem.

“Woah... that’s a little bit freaky,” she giggles in awe. She’s never met anyone like these two before - Hinata and Kageyama don’t even come close!

“Thank you,” Makki says, stepping forwards to loop his arm through hers as he begins to walk them to a different part of the station - the one heading to the city centre, she notes - ignoring Oikawa’s whines of ‘stop stealing her, we saw her first!’ 

A hand grabs the other one, not currently within Makki’s possession, and she turns to stare up at Mattsun. Jeez he’s tall. He smirks at her as if he knows exactly what she’s thinking. “We are taking the next 10 days off. We need a break from uni work and now is the perfect time.”

“N-Now?”

“Helllll yeahhh,” the two say at the same time, dragging the word out, before Mattsun continues. “Halloween, Angel-chan. Halloween.” A reverent smile on his face.

“All hallows’ eve.”

“Samhain.”

“The perfect time for demons like us to crawl out of the woodwork,” Makki grins, pulling her down onto a seat in the subway cart. 

“B-But what about your Univeristy lectures? Wont you be missed?”

“Maybe.”

“Probably.”

“Everything’s uploaded online anyways.”

“We wont miss much.” They give eachother matching grins as Oikawa squawks and Iwaizumi sighs from across the carriage.

“O-Okay! So... you like halloween then?” Yachi asks hesitantly, not wanting the conversation to fall into awkward silence. Meeting new people is hard.

“Love, Angel-chan. We LOVE halloween,” Makki states.

“Which is why, we’ve brought you along!” Mattsun says jovially.

“M-Me?”

“Hell yeah! We need your opinion.”

“M-My opinion?” She stutters.

“On decorations!”

“Why?!” Is it because I’m a girl, she wonders. Why can’t anyone else do it? Oikawa is fashionable enough...

“Because you’re an artist!” Makki says, eyes twinkling with more enthusiasm than she has seen from the boy yet.

“O-Oh! I’m not like - a PROPER artist—”

“Sonic and Alien-brains over here,” Mattsun says, pointing his thumb over at Oikawa who leans into Iwaizumi with a ‘MEANNN MATTSUN! After I gave you two such nice nicknames!’ Which the boy kindly ignores, continuing, “they both vouched for you and your artistic talent, so. We are here to recruit you—”

“More like kidnap her,” Iwaizumi deadpans from the other seat, though he makes no move to stop the two self-proclaimed demons.

“Or kidnap you,” Mattsun amends, barely skipping a beat as he continues, “to help us decorate the flat in perfect halloween, perfection!”

“And get costumes,” Makki adds on.

“And get costumes.” Mattsun agrees.

“That aren’t alien themed,” Iwaizumi joins in, the three throwing perfectly-timed, matching glares at Oikawa.

This is going to be a wild ride.

•••

30 minutes later, Iwaizumi’s arms are laden with bags, Oikawa having perked up, excited to help with choosing decorations once they got to the shopping centre, trying to sneak as many alien-themed items as he could into the shopping basket, whining, “it’s my money anyways Iwa-chan, I can buy them if I want to!” Before storming off to put them back where he found them.

After conferring with Mattsun and Makki about what they wanted the apartment to look like—

“Tacky—”

“But not TOO tacky,”

“And not boring. We want something original,”

“None of this orange and black stuff,”

— it took a while, before they agreed that black and green were the colours to look for—

“Like a witches hut!”

“Or beetlejuice!”

The two scampering off in search of anything matching the theme. So far they have a couple of black and silver pumpkin decorations, little black spiders on strings to hang from the ceiling, as well as lots of spider webs to hang everywhere. A self-stirring cauldron that glows green, which held everyones attention for a good while, no one able to find a plug or somewhere to put batteries in—

“It’s magic!”

“It’s not magic!”

“Yer a wizard, Harry!”

“For fu— Iwa-chan! Tell them it’s not magic!”

“You’re not going to get into Hogwarts with an attitude like that, Tooru.”

“UAGHHH!”

— LOTS of black and green glitter, that Makki insisted was necessary with a devious smile. A collection of animal skulls that glow in the dark - and some glow in the dark stars and planets, for obvious reasons. Some black candles that melt green, those were a good find. Your typical tacky plates, bowls and streamers - and 5 more expensive, matching crystal tumblers for alcohol in the shape of skulls. Oikawa insisted that the halloween squad have matching glasses to drink from on the night. Yachi already knows that hers will be smashed before midnight, she can feel it in her bones.

Hopping along between shops, Yachi drops back to walk with Iwaizumi who has a contented smile on his face.

“You’ve missed them, haven’t you?” She asks gently.

“Yeah. The four of us have been together for as long as I can remember. We split up for junior high, then rekindled the friendship in high school. Being at different universities has been tough, but we’ve made it work. His smile grows as he watches the three ahead of him goof about, Mattsun swinging an arm around Oikawa’s shoulder to bring him in close, nuzzling his hair. It’s not the first time today that she’s seen similar displays of affection between the four. She wonders if there’s maybe more going on than she realises. Figuring it couldn’t hurt to ask, she opens her mouth, only to be interrupted by Oikawa.

“Angel-channnn! Do you know what you want to go as?”

“Huh?”

“To the party!” He grins.

“Oh! N-No, I haven’t really thought about it...” she says, now pondering the question. 

“Great - ‘cause we do!” He says, running back to tug Yachi away from Iwaizumi, turning right into, what she discovers, is a costume shop.

Oh no. 

Tugging her through the rack with purpose, he finds what he’s looking for. “Ta-da! Which one do you want? There’s the gold one over there, or a silvery one instead? Oooh this one is really sparkly,” he continues, but Yachi already knows which one she wants.

Walking forwards she touches the soft material reverently. “This one,” she all but whispers. Hands reach over her shoulders to flit through the sizes, before pulling one out with a hum. 

Holding it up to her, Oikawa sends her a gentle smile, “go try it on. We’ll be right behind you.” Before he wanders away, searching for other costumes.

Following the overhead signs, Yachi finds the changing rooms and begins the process of stripping her clothes and getting changed. It reminds her of when she was getting changed into Saeko’s clothes for karaoke. The same suffocating feeling surrounds her, the girl refusing to look in the mirror until the outfit is fully on. She hears some scuffling and a couple of sniggers, signifying Mattsun and Makki’s entrance to the changing rooms, lightening the heavy weight within her cubicle slightly. It takes a while as there’s a couple of pieces to the costume, the shoes themselves taking 3 minutes to don and tie properly, but finally the outfit is fully assembled. With a deep breath, Yachi turns to the mirror.

And stares.

That... can’t possibly be her.

In the mirror, staring back at her, is an angel.

Gold, gladiator style sandals wind around her legs to just below her knees, catching in the artificial light of the cubicle, making her shimmer. The dress is made of soft, breathable cotton, the white material having a pearlescent shimmer to it, with golden swirls of embroidery around the middle, emphasising her tiny waist, cinched with a golden belt made of the same ribbon-like material as her shoes. Gold sequins flow down from the embroidery at different lengths, looking like golden rain flowing down the skirt of her dress when she turns, the bottom floating outwards gently. The top of the dress is spaghetti straps, with a fairly modest neckline, but what draws attention is the ‘sleeves’. Hanging from the material where the spaghetti straps start, is 5 rows of pearls - not actual pearls, but beads made to look like them - that give the illusion of a bardot top. Curling around the soft skin of her upper arms, they hang loosely, each row of pearls slightly lower than the other, the final row grazing just above her elbow. 

Sat atop her head, encircling her brow is a golden circlet that mimics the swirling embroidery on the middle of her dress, like waves cresting and flowing. Matching cuffs adorn her wrists, clinking gently when she rotates them, but they aren’t what steals the show. 

Completing the look, sat upon her back, is a pair of soft, white, feather wings. The tips of some of the bottom feathers are painted gold, shimmering in the light. The top of the wings reach to the middle of her head, and the bottom-most feathers gently caress the bare backs of her lower thighs. 

She’s beautiful.

Where when she wore Saeko’s clothes she felt strong and confident, like she was putting on a costume—

This feels like coming home. 

Twirling in the small space of the stall, Yachi smiles to herself. Angel-chan indeed.

A cacophony of noise outside the stall alerts her to the current situation. Smiling at her reflection, she unlocks the door behind her and steps out. Seeing no-one she cautiously follows the noise back out onto the store floor, where she sees Mattsun and Makki dressed as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from cat in the hat laughing as Iwaizumi, dressed as a demon with black and silver wings, contrasting her own white and gold ones, is currently wresting alien costumes out of Oikawa’s arms and back onto the racks where they belong, the latter— are those ACTUAL tears in his eyes?!

Unable to contain it, Yachi begins laughing, drawing the attention of not just her friends, but the majority of the store, who had all been watching the madness unfold with rapt attention. 

Gasps of shock and awe can be heard throughout the store as everyone catches sight of her. She looks ethereal. Mattsun and Makki’s jaws dropping, Iwaizumi’s breath hitching and Oikawa dropping the rest of the costumes in his arms onto the floor. 

Realising this as her giggles peter out, she pulls into herself, wrapping her arms around her waist self-consciously, as she gives her friends a hesitant smile. “What do you guys think?”

Iwaizumi is the first to recover, walking towards her with his head tilted to the side, assessing. He stops a meter away from her, hand raising to brush against the soft down of her wings. “It’s perfect.” He says, smiling down at her.

Unable to resist, Yachi’s face splits into a huge grin as she throws herself at him. Catching her around the waist, he swings her up into his arms, hand gripping her legs, securing the dress to her body so no one can catch a glimpse of anything they shouldn’t. “Thank you,” she whispers, tears wetting her eyelashes. When was the last time she ever had people making her feel so special?

From her perch on his hip, chin resting on his shoulder, Yachi watches as Mattsun and Makki hug Oikawa, Makki kissing his cheek as Mattsun asks, “you sure there’s not room in this foursome for one more?”

Oikawa meets her eyes as he grins, replying, “nah, she’s got her heart set on someone else,” before turning to kiss the boy.

Well, that answers that question, Yachi thinks, smiling at her happy friends, who have finally been reunited with each other. If those four can manage to stay happy and together for so long, over such a distance? She’s going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, but... polyamory tho.
> 
> Honestly, iwaoimatsuhana is just *chefs kiss* THE ULTIMATE MEME SHIP!
> 
> I love rarepairs.  
I love seijoh.  
I love my meme queens.
> 
> (Also as someone who is open to polyamory, im all about being inclusive and normalising ‘different’ relationships, in the hope that one day society will accept it as normal too and everyone can live happily without judgement xoxo)


	23. Why Are We Like This.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Weekend update time and you know what that means... HALLOWEEN!
> 
> I hope you all like it and let me know what you think!
> 
> As promsied, I have made an instagram account called ‘Elizandre22’ and it has the same profile pic as my Ao3 account does. Theres no pressure to follow me at all, but anyone who wants to chat about the fic - or just in general - is totally welcome! Don’t actually know if I will be posting any pictures or not... 🤔 we’ll see.
> 
> Anyhoo, ignoring that, this is my second upload of the week and for anyone who didnt catch it on tuesdays update, I will now be trying to upload twice a week, with the goal of finishing this fic by the beginning of august... thank you to everyone who has stuck around so long waiting for some kind of end to this fic, it honestly means the world <3
> 
> Okay, thats enough rambling for now! Feel free to kudos or comment (or follow, now!) but if thats not your thing, its gravy!
> 
> Hope to see you all on weds for the next update! Stay funky, my volleybabes xoxo

The week before Halloween passes by quickly in a steady stream of work, snapchats and conversations with Mattsun and Makki who are quickly becoming two of her favourite people. Their straight forward humour and ‘soulmate-senses’ as they dub them, amuse her to no end, the two frequently interrupting her library time to chat or tell her about their days - always making sure to ask about hers too and seeming genuinely interested in her art. It’s nice.

However, as the week draws towards it’s climax, Yachi finds herself becoming more and more nervous. The two - as well as Kuroo, Bokuto and Tanaka - have managed to rope her into helping set up the decorations in the flat before the party starts that night, claiming they need her artistic expertise to make sure they get it right. And she’s honoured. Thrilled! Really...

Except for the little fact that Akaashi will be at the party, and he’s already expressed how uncomfortable he was knowing she had been in the flat without his permission. And while she knows that a party where tonnes of other people have been invited is a lot different to staying over and playing mario kart the next day... she’s still worried.

Which is why it is now 5pm on Halloween and she is standing outside of the ‘volleyball flat’, costume in an outfit bag over her arm. If he doesn’t want her there then she’ll leave... but she owes it to her friends to try.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Yachi raises her hand and knocks on the door, each bang against wood sounding like a death toll.

The silence afterwards is deafening, Yachi’s stomach churning with nerves. Please don’t be Akaashi who opens the door— please don’t be Akaashi who opens the door!

So engrossed in her own silent prayer, Yachi barely notices as the door is silently opened before her, blond tresses similar to her own poking out, before sighing in relief and opening the door more fully.

“I’m on door duty. Apparently I have to send anyone who arrives early away, until all of the decorations are put up,” Kenma says, deadpan. “Apparently I have a scary face.”

Snorting at this Yachi steps forward into the flat, toeing off her shoes. “You don’t have a scary face at all, Kenma!”

“I know. I think they just want me out the way so they can decorate my corner.”

Looking over, sure enough Kenma’s corner with the loveseat is being decorated with cobwebs for days, Bokuto enthusiastically chucking up more as Kuroo bats them away hissing, “we already have enough Bo!”

Giggling, Yachi feels her resolve strengthen. She wants to be a part of this. Her back straightens, the girl standing taller as she asks, “which room might I find Akaashi in?”

A twitching cheekbone is all the surprise Kenma shows at her request, before uttering a quiet, “follow me. Don’t make any noise or they will notice you and you’ll never escape.” Understanding the very real threat that poses to her plans, she complies readily and creeps through the main room, into the long corridor. The farthest back room, opposite Iwaizumi and Oikawa’s is where Kenma leads her, tilting their head at the door in question.

Taking a calming breath, Yachi smiles wanly at Kenma, the other turning away to give her some privacy, before knocking on her second door of the night.

A gentle, “come in,” is all the response she gets. Gathering her nerve, she pushes into the room slowly, Akaashi sat with his back to her at some kind of desk. The boy seems to be scribbling something furiously and she doesn’t want to disturb him so she waits.

It takes 30 seconds or so, before there is a lull in his movement, hand reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck in an oddly human gesture. This reminder that he is just a boy, the exact same as her, is what finally encourages her to move from her perch against the door.

“Akaashi-san?”

The way the boy startles would have been comical in any other situation, however, as it stands currently Yachi can only feel guilty.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you— you just seemed so absorbed in whatever you were writing I didn’t want to interrupt you, but I guess I waited too long and you forgot someone knocked...”

Wide eyes stare back at her in shock, the elder student’s mouth opening and closing as no sound comes out. Feeling emboldened and knowing this might be her only shot, Yachi continues.

“I-I wanted to talk to you... about tonight. You see, Mattsun and Makki invited me over to help decorate the f-flat a-a-and join in with the party, but I-I don’t want to make you uncomfortable in your own home...” she pauses, trying to gauge his reaction, but having no clue what he’s thinking. “I... I’m really sorry Akaashi-san. I stayed over after the karaoke night with no thought as to how having me in your space might make you feel - especially when earlier in the night you made it VERY clear you wanted nothing to do with me...

“It was incredibly selfish of me. I put my own mental health before yours and I invaded your safe space and that is NOT okay, no matter the hostility between us earlier in the night. I-I’m sorry that I have managed to come between you and Bokuto, that was never my intention - I think the two of you would make a lovely couple, actually!” At this Akaashi gives a small wince, pulling Yachi back to her original point, “right... sorry. I just... do you want me to be honest with you, Akaashi-san?” The boy hesitates, as if she’s asking a trick question, before slowly nodding.

Nodding in return, Yachi takes a deep breath. Here goes nothing. 

“I’m sick. I’m sick of... ALL OF THIS! I’m sick of tiptoeing around my friends because I’m worried about bumping into you. I’m sick of being terrified of my crazy roommate and her friend who are WEIRDLY obsessed with you - I don’t know if you know that? But they aren’t your friends. Don’t trust them, they are awful people - and I’m walking on eggshells in my own flat. My OWN safe space, because they now SOMEHOW think that we are a couple! It’s all so messed up and I’m tired.

“I’m tired, Akaashi-san,” she sighs, eyes falling to the floor, the girl finally out of steam. “I want to be here. I want to be with my friends. I want to see them and not have to work around whether or not you will be there. I don’t ever want them to have to choose between us... 1, because it’s not fair on them, and 2, because they would choose you... and so they should, they’ve known you way longer and have a much stronger bond with you... but I REALLY care about them. I don’t want to lose them over this,” she whispers, lashes wetting in fear and sadness. Is he going to turn away her olive branch?

“They shouldn’t,” comes the equally quiet whisper.

“... what?” 

“They. Shouldn’t.” He emphasises with conviction, blazing eyes lifting to meet her. “They shouldn’t pick me. If it comes to a choice.”

“Akaashi-san?”

“I—” he cuts himself off with an aggravated sigh, running his hand through his curls. “If it came to a choice, they should choose you. While I’ve been hiding away and diving into my music, avoiding pretty much all of them because I was angry and jealous, you’ve been there. Despite being scared of me and knowing there was a chance that your friendship with Bokuto would get back to Suzumeda and Yukie, you spent time with them anyways. You’ve... fuck! You’ve made Bokuto happier than I’ve seen him in ages! And I should have been happy to see the man I love happy, but I was a coward and turned to anger instead...

“You’ve been there for all of them, while I was too obsessed with my own emotions... so they should choose you.” He says with finality, head turning to the side in disgust - though not for her, that much is clear.

“Taking care of your own mental health and wellbeing first isn’t a weakness.” Yachi says with conviction, the other’s head whipping towards her in shock at the vehemence in her voice. “I don’t know who ever made you think that it was, but they were wrong. Sure, it might seem selfish... but it’s your life and you’re the only one that will ever get to live it... so what’s the point if you aren’t happy?! God,” she laughs, self-depricatingly, “I wish I cared less about what other people thought of me and more about my own health. Maybe if I did we wouldn’t be in this awful situation...” she trails off, realising she’s revealed more than she mean’t to, but she’s too emotionally exhausted to care.

“I’m... I’m really sorry, Yachi.”

“Wh-What? What are you sorry for?”

“For being selfish when you’ve been selfless. Thank you for looking after Bokuto for me... I... I’ve been a bit of a mess, but I’m going to try harder from now on to be someone worthy of his love and maybe... maybe one day I’ll get it.”

“You already are worthy. From what I can see, all of this has happened because of how much you love him, right?” Frightened eyes lock onto hers as he nods hesitantly, as if afraid to admit it out loud, “and because you were afraid you were losing him... yet you thought he loved me. So you backed off. You can call yourself selfish all you want, but that sounds pretty selfless to me, Akaashi-san.”

“I... never thought of it that way.”

“The worst people are always the quickest to think well of themselves... and the best people are always the quickest to think badly of themselves. You aren’t a bad person, OR a bad friend. You just... took some well-needed time to sort your feelings out so you didn’t hurt the people you cared about. Thats pretty admirable, you know.”

“How can you say that?! How can you stand there and be so nice to me when I’ve only ever been rude to you. Did—” he pauses, staring at her intently, before continuing, “did you know Kenma told me what happened with Suzumeda?” 

The blood drains from Yachi’s face as her eyes widen. He knows?

“It’s okay!” He hastens, seeing her reaction, “well, I mean it’s not okay, AT ALL, but it’s okay.”

“Y-You won’t tell anyone, w-w-will you?”

“No... no I wont tell anyone Yachi... but, you have to realise that what happened was my fault—”

“No it wasn’t!” Yachi shouts, stepping backwards in shock at her own adamant.

“But—”

“No. Her slapping me was her choice. It was no more my fault than it was yours. You can’t take responsibility for the actions of others Akaashi... she only cares about herself. Her infatuation with you is selfish and rude and honestly, incredibly invasive. You shouldn’t have to put up with her behaviour anymore than I should.”

“... she is pretty awful, isn’t she,” Akaashi says with a small, hesitant smile towards her.

“The awfullest.” Yachi agrees.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not a word...”

“Try telling that to Makki and Mattsun. I’ve already had this argument three times in the past week - you can’t win against them.” 

“Well, the awfullest she is then,” he says with a smirk, before getting serious once more. “Yachi, I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to hear me say that, but it’s the truth and from now on I’m not going to run away from the things I find hard - one of which is apologising to you, because I honestly don’t deserve your forgiveness... but I want it all the same.”

“You have it!” Yachi bursts out.

“W-What?” Akaashi splutters, taken off guard by the girl’s enthusiasm.

“You have it. My forgiveness. I mean, I came in here hoping you would just let me stay for the party... I never expect this...”

“You can stay. For the party. And afterwards if you want, I don’t mind.”

“N-No I couldn’t possibly—”

“I was wrong, Yachi. Let me be wrong about you...” He says with the softest smile, transforming his face into something people would write poetry about. This is the person Bokuto fell in love with, she thinks, finally seeing what attracts her friend to the other.

“O-Okay,” she stutters, smiling back shyly. “Do you want to come and help with the decorations?” She offers.

“No, thank you. I’m going to try and finish this song before the flat gets too loud with ‘spooky tunes’” he jokes, turning back to his desk. Taking that as her sign to leave, she gingerly opens the door and is halfway out when he calls back to her, “Yachi?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any plans on November 13th? The friday before Kuroo’s birthday?”

“N-No?” She stutters. Kuroo’s birthday? It’s so soon?!

“Ah. There’s another volleyball match that weekend, I didn’t know if they had already invited you or not...” he pauses, seeming to gather himself, Yachi waiting patiently in the doorway. “I actually have a concert on that weekend, at the University theatre hall. None of the flat can come because they will all either be at the game or PLAYING the game... it’s nice to have someone to talk to before I play... would you maybe like to come?”

It takes Yachi’s brain a moment to understand what he is asking, before she jumps ecstatically, “oh my goodness! Of course, I would love to! Bokuto has talked about how amazing your playing is - I’d love to hear it in person!” She gushes.

A faint blush curls up his neck as he gives her that same soft smile from before. “Good. I’ll send you the details for it closer to the time, and... thank you, Yachi.”

Knowing what he means, Yachi gives a happy nod, sending him her warmest, brightest smile, before backing out of the room. Pausing for a moment to right herself, she walks through the open doorway of Oikawa and Iwaizumi’s room, seeing that the bed has been pushed against the wall and chairs have magically appeared out of nowhere, turning their room into a second socialising space, away from the lounge. No one is in the room currently, so she quickly hangs her costume up in the wardrobe and heads on back into the lounge, ready to put up some decorations.

1/5 Things crossed off her list... Yamaguchi will be proud.

•••

It takes them the better part of an hour and a half to finish decorating the flat, Nishinoya and Bokuto determined to ruin Mattsun, Makki and Kuroo’s hard work - Kuroo being way more into the holiday than Yachi was anticipating. 

Iwaizumi and Oikawa have been placed on kitchen duty, Iwaizumi in charge of making tasty, yet scary snacks and Oikawa in charge of the alcohol - of which, there is a lot. 

A huge bowl of blood-red punch sits in the middle of the island, along with a rainbow of jello shot and regular shots. Rows of black and green cocktails line the kitchen counters, ready to be drank. Each of the five ‘Halloween connoisseurs’ is holding their own skull glass, drinking red punch - which is nicely fruity, Yachi notes - in different areas of the flat, sorting out the finishing touches.

There had been a very long debate about whether or not Mario Kart would be allowed during the party, before a compromise was made and Tanaka’s room was opened up to the public as a gaming room, which is where Yachi now sits, huddled up next to Kenma who is dressed as Link from The Legend of Zelda, something Yachi geeked out over when she saw it, prompting Kenma to grab her had and drag her to the corner of Tanaka’s bed to sit and play it together on their nintendo.

It’s around 7:30 when Yachi looks up to realise a decent amount of people are now milling about and that her cup is empty. Figuring now would be a decent time, she hops up and heads into Oikawa’s room to get changed, skirting round the few guests to lock herself inside the ensuite. It takes her a couple of minutes and a bit of awkward fiddling, before she is fully suited up. A dab of gold eyeshadow and highlight, some mascara and some pink lipgloss, and she’s all ready to go!

Stepping out into the room again she smiles at the people who smile back, stuffing her things under Oikawa’s bed with a prayer to the gods that it will still be there in the morning, and heads back towards the lounge. 

Emerging into the room, she realises she must have spent more time with Kenma than she realised as the party is in full swing, sofas pushed back against the walls to make an impromptu dancefloor, a dining table from god-knows where having been placed opposite the kitchen entrance, a rowdy game of beer-pong ensuing between what looks to be a team of Bokuto and Kuroo - dressed as a werewolf and vampire respectively - versus Nishinoya and a simple-looking guy who Yachi remembers adding on facebook... Enno-something? Who are dressed as what Yachi THINKS are the... powerpuff girls?! Or two thirds of them anyways. She has no doubt that Tanaka will be wearing the third dress, a blonde wig donning his bald head. 

Giggling at the chaos, she heads towards the kitchen to top up her glass. Arriving into the busy space, she tries desperately not to knock anything over with her wings, before realising it’s a futile effort, and starts waving towards Iwaizumi instead, calling his name, while also admiring his Bowser costume.

The man’s head pops up instantly, making her laugh - how did he even manage to hear her over all the noise? - and grabbing two of the black cocktails, he starts making his way over to her. 

Arriving at her side, he pours one black cocktail into her skull glass and another into his own, before clinking their glasses together. She watches on in awe as he downs the full cocktail in one go, turning to her with a smirk.

“Bottoms up, Angel.”

“What?!”

“Bottoms up! You’ve got to drink it all in one go!”

“I couldn’t possibly!” She gasps, “I think it might kill me!”

“Nahhh, you can do it— Hey Mattsun, I bet you ¥1000 Yachi can down this cocktail,” he shouts, gaining the attention of not just Matsukawa, but a couple of other party goers.

“What?! She’s just tiny!”

“Nah man, she’s fresh as a daisy.”

“That’s just cruel, Iwaizumi-san!”

“Well,” Iwaizumi says, voice low, but demanding attention, “if you don’t think she can do it, you’re welcome to join the bet.”

What was a bet between Iwaizumi and Mattsun, turns into a whole betting pool with only Iwaizumi and the red-headed guy she remembers to be Tendou, betting on her, the latter winking at her, saying “I always place my bets on the underdog.” While 8 people place bets against them. And that annoys her.

Variations of “she’s tiny” and “she’s just a girl” are thrown around, the fire in Yachi’s veins growing with each one, so much so that she doesn’t even wait for all the money to be pooled, before looking Mattsun straight in the eye and saying, “fuck you,” with a grin, before downing the entire cocktail, much to the raucous cheers of Oikawa in his Princess Peach dress, kneeling on the kitchen island for a better view. 

The party is a blur from that point on, many people coming up to compliment her wings - which she appreciates greatly - and others coming up to compliment other parts of her anatomy - which Iwaizumi or Mattsun usually fend off with a practiced hand, one of the two sticking by her side as the night progresses. 

Three won rounds of just dance later, Yachi falls into the loveseat with a glass of water and a smile on her face, watching as Bokuto, Kuroo and Oikawa all wiggle around to the ‘Time Warp’ on the dance floor. She sighs deeply, realising she hasn’t even seen Kuroo and Bokuto properly, the night constantly moving them in different directions. She doesn’t even know if they realise she’s still here... leaning her head onto her hand, she sits and observes them with a smile, Kuroo’s dancing is utterly tragic, yet she can’t help but feel compelled by him, feet itching to stand up and join them. 

Maybe on the next song.

A warmth at her elbow causes her to jolt and turn, praying she wont have to fend off any more creeps without Iwaizumi, only to come face to face with Akaashi, who gives her a sleepy smile.

“Hello again.”

“Hello, Akaashi. I hope the party didn’t disturb you too much.”

“No no, it was fine,” he says, eyes drifting out onto the dancefloor, “god, he’s an idiot,” he says, laughing.

Turning to look out, she sees Bokuto and Kuroo are now both on the floor trying - and failing - to do some kind of breakdancing spin. She can just vaguely hear Bokuto’s voice above the din, “no, bro. It goes like this... yes I can do it... better than you can!... it’s all in the arms bro!” Making her giggle.

“Yeah, he’s an idiot alright...” she says, eyes straying once again to land on Kuroo, who she can safely say isn’t doing much better than Bokuto, but is being spurred on my the cheers of the crowd, nonetheless.

“Huh, I guess Kenma was right.”

“Hmm..?” Yachi mumbles, tearing her eyes away to meet Akaashi’s once more.

“That you like Kuroo.”

Normally, this would be panic stations for Yachi, and somewhere in the back of her mind she can sense a vague bit of worry, but the blissful haze of alcohol quickly washes that away, the girl only smiling shyly and nodding, before turning back with a wince as she watches him crash face first into Bokuto’s chest. “No idea why, to be honest,” she mutters dryly, pulling out her phone to start recording.

Right on cue, ‘Thriller’ by Michael Jackson comes on and he and Bokuto lose it. Their impressions of the zombie dance cause both Akaashi and Yachi to fall about laughing, Yachi saving the video with a promise to send it to him later, while also sending it into her highschool GC.

A bunch of pings come through, but she can’t bring herself to check them just yet, too busy laughing at the three of them since Terushima has now decided to join in. Bringing her phone up once more, she sends another video, this time private, to Tsukishima with a caption of ‘why are we like this.”

A response quickly comes through of a sarcastic Kaomoji, making her snort, before she remembers something from earlier.

“Hey, Akaashi-san?”

“Yes? And please just call me Akaashi.”

“O-Okay! Erm... oh!” She mumbles, losing her train of though as the guys once again distract her with their amazing - read appalling - dance skills, before recalling her question. “You said earlier that your concert was the Friday before Kuroo’s birthday... when is that exactly?” 

“Oh, he hasn’t mentioned it? It’s November 17th. I imagine he’s probably having a big party of some kind, the socialite that he is,” Akaashi teases, smiling at his friend on the dance floor.

“17th...”

Turning back to her phone, she types out a quick message, not wanting to miss the end of the song.

Message chat: JurASSic

Me: Why are we like this

Me: *sent video attachment*

JurASSic: (--_--)

Me: hey, tsuk??

JurASSic: Yes?

Me: u no how u wnted n xcus to come seee treuu

Me: treu

Me: treu

Me: T E R U

JurASSic: ...

JurASSic: yes.

Me: its kroos bday soonx ehy noy com n stay then????

JurASSic: ... Are you inviting me to your boyfriend’s birthday party instead of letting him ask me himself? 

Me: yeaaa

JurASSic: You need a glass of water.

JurASSic: I’ll text Kuroo in the morning about it.

Me: yayyyyyyyy (⌒▽⌒)☆

...

Backing out of the chat Yachi quickly clicks back onto her camera, sloppily sliding the slow-mo option on - because she’s drunk, but she’s not so drunk that she doesn’t know an opportunity when she sees one - in time to watch he and Bokuto’s final dance climax, Bokuto lifting him up dirty dancing style, only for them both to overbalance and fall to the ground.

Watching him tumble to the floor in a flail of limbs as the song ends, Yachi can’t help but roll her eyes in fondness at their dramatics. Tucking her phone away, making sure her blackmail stays nice and safe, she stands up to the beginning whirls of ‘Men in Black’ by Will Smith. Making her way over to the dancefloor with only a slight sway in her steps, she holds out a hand to help him up from the floor, a smile on her face.

...

Beautiful. 

She’s absolutely beautiful.

I mean, Kuroo knows this. He’s known it from the first moment he met her back in the library all those weeks ago. He’s known it from when he saw her up in the stands at that first volleyball game, cheering him on. He’s known it from when she came crying to him after receiving his messages, thinking he was someone awful from her past. I mean, she was blotchy and teary-eyed and still so damn beautiful. He’s known it from when he saw her walk out in Saeko’s clothes for Karaoke and he knew it when he saw her an hour later in those same clothes on the sidewalk having a panic attack. He knows it when she talks about her art. He knows it when she laughs with Nishinoya and Tanaka. He knows it when she plays games with Kenma. He knows it when she helps Iwaizumi with cooking, or listens to Oikawa ramble on about space. He knows it when she’s with Bo and she smiles so widely it’s a surprise her face doesn’t split in half. 

And he knows it when she smiles at him, like she is right now. Not that massive smile she gives Bokuto, or the laughter she sends towards Tanaka and Noya, but a soft, genuine, happy smile she reserves just for him. 

A smile he is completely and utterly in love with. 

Smiling in return, he reaches up to take her hand in his and lets her pull him up into the next dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, by now you should have read the chapter...
> 
> (And if you havent, what the hell are you doing down here?!)
> 
> Please let me know what you guys thought about the Akaashi chat? I hope I did them both justice and that they were able to explain themselves with no hard feelings left over - i genuinely do love Akaashi and his character and I want to start making him and Yachi BOND cos he needs her too!!
> 
> Also sorry for making the KuroYachi so short in this chapter, but again I wanted it to be about her growth and to focus on the Yakaashi dynamic... dont worry though, next chapter will be 100% KuroYachi FLUFF to make up for it!
> 
> Love you all, thanks for reading! Xoxo


	24. Ooof. That’s A Bit Deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO FRIENDS!
> 
> I am back for my midweek update!
> 
> This one is a little gift/ bit of filler because I know I’ve been lacking in the KuroYachi department recently. Just a little present for you guys to say thank you for all the love and support you always give this fic... I still cant believe I have over 300 kudos! I was expecting to get MAYBE 20??
> 
> Also thank you so much to everyone who has followed my instagram!! (It’s Elizandre22 if anyone was wondering x) I will be posting quotes and chapter updates on there, as well as some music recs that I listened to when writing specific parts of this fic <3
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it, please feel free to kudos, comment or dm me - and if thats not your thing, its cool, thank you for being here all the same!!
> 
> Sending all my love out to you all, stay safe my beautiful volleybabes xoxo

Yachi danced the night away, joining Kuroo, Bokuto, Oikawa and even Terushima on the dance floor, drinking herself into tipsy oblivion.

Her hangover the next day, however, was a healthy reminder as to why she doesn’t drink like that very often, walking back to her flat to sleep it off, not wanting to outstay her welcome, despite her timidly blossoming friendship with Akaashi - the other finding her multiple times the night before, seemingly just to be in her company. It was pleasant.

However, all good things must come to an end. Makki and Mattsun leave on the 2nd of November, the girl sweeping them into a teary-eyed hug goodbye with promises to keep in contact and see each other over winter break - realising they all live pretty close to one another in Miyagi.

The twos’ leaving heralded another influx of University work for Yachi, it being just over a month before winter break would start and most of her modules would be over. 

Which is why, a week after Halloween, she is spending her Saturday, not partying it up, but rather back in her library alcove, basking in the silence. It’s been a while since she’s seen any of her friends - still making sure to message them plenty - but if she’s being honest, she misses them. And she was hoping that by coming to the library she might just bump into one of them.

Sighing to herself, she stares down at her laptop, finger’s itching for the grip of a pencil between them, rather than a keyboard, but she’s doing a graphics degree and as such, she needs to produce online portfolios too... 

Why did she ever agree with her mother’s request that she do graphics instead of fine art? Maybe she could transfer course... she sighs again.

“My my my, those are some mighty big sighs, Kitten,” a voice calls from across the table.

Jumping in fright, Yachi quickly yanks out her earbud, before smiling brightly. Her plan worked! Standing at the opposite side of the table, laptop under his arm, is Kuroo, a smirk playing across his face.

“You gonna slide over, Yacchan?” He asks, gesturing to the booth she has spread her belongings across, making it inaccessible.

“O-Of course!” She stutters, hastily moving her things to make space for him, inadvertently clearing up only enough space for him to sit closely by her side. A warm blush spreads across her face at their proximity to one another, but she figures it’s better not to mention it, lest she draw attention to her furiously red face and beating heart. 

Murmuring a gentle thanks, Kuroo settles in next to her, seemingly not bothered by the closeness, opening up worksheets on top of his laptop, brow already creasing as he stares at it.

Huh. 

They continue on in silence for 5 minutes, Yachi worrying at the edges of her keyboard before she gives up trying to do any work.

“Kuroo... are you okay?”

“Hmm?” He mumbles, barely tilting his head to show he has heard her.

“Kuroo.”

“What is it, Yachi?” He says, still refusing to look at her.

A little hurt by his clearly dismissive behaviour, Yachi turns back to her own work and throws herself into it, Makki and Oikawa’s faces staring back at her from the makeup advertisement she’s busy creating. Doing a photoshoot with them for her work had been fun, Oikawa suggesting they model for her since he does it all the time anyways, when she mentioned her lack of motivation for her digital marketing module. 

Smiling at the memory of them all goofing about together, she finds herself falling back into the work, setting up slogans and reviews for the fake product.

A deep sigh, not unlike the one she let out earlier tears her from her work, eye’s flitting to the side to take in Kuroo’s form hunched over his laptop, head turning quickly back and forth between the screen and his notes on the table. Worried for her friend, but not wanting to bug him like she seemed to earlier, she attempt to ignore him, the other making it surprisingly difficult as once she has zoned into his noise and fidgeting she can’t zone back out.

5 sighs and 7 rustles of paper later, Yachi slams her hands down onto the table in a rare show of irritation, her infinite patience grown and cultivated through dealing with Kageyama, Tsukishima and Hinata wearing thin.

“What. Is. Wrong.” She grits out, mind curling in satisfaction when she sees Kuroo jump in shock.

“W-What do you mean?” The elder stutters.

“You keep sighing and you’re going to get premature wrinkles with how much you’re frowning. I asked you earlier and you ignored me, but now I can’t get any work done, so what is wrong?!” She asks, voice raising in irritation, fuelled by worry for her friend who is not acting like himself.

“I—” the boy chokes, seeming to not know what to say.

Sighing softly herself, Yachi closes her eyes and attempts to calm herself down. Opening her eyes again, she meets Kuroo’s own wary ones. Shit.

“I’m sorry, Kuroo. I’m not mad at you, I’m just worried. You looked really stressed earlier, but when I asked about it you just kind of... brushed me off? Didn’t even look at me...” she says, head hanging at the memory. She knows its shitty to be feeling sorry for herself when her friend is clearly struggling with something, but it hurt! Being so thoroughly dismissed by someone she has come to trust in hurt.

“Shit. Did I actually? I’m so sorry, Hitoka,” Kuroo says, hands waving about in the air with panic, not even catching his use of her first name as Yachi’s face heats up considerably. “I get like this sometimes. The guys know to just give me a whack on the shoulder or something if I get too involved in my studies... I guess it’s never happened around you before, eh? Huh... fancy that,” he says, the last part as a barely audible mumble to himself with a small smile.

Well, at least it wasn’t anything personal, Yachi thinks, now feeling bad for considering that he might have deliberately ignored her.

“No no, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have snapped at you, I’m just not used to seeing you so... stressed? I guess...” she says.

“Yeah,” Kuroo scratches the back of his neck with a ginger laugh, “sorry about that... I’ve got this test on Monday and honestly? I know nothing.”

“That’s not true!” Yachi calls out, before blushing and quickly lowering her voice to something more library-appropriate, “that’s not true at all! You love chemistry, you debate it with Oikawa all the time! You wouldn’t do that - outside of University, might I add - if you weren’t passionate and knowledgeable about it! So... give yourself more credit,” she says, knocking her shoulder into his arm with a smile, “you’re one of the smartest people I know.”

Well, if Kuroo wasn’t blushing before, he certainly is now. None of his past girlfriends have ever cared about his intelligence, just liking that he was hot and an athlete and... yeah, good in bed. But, seeing Yachi, staring up at him with passionate eyes as she tells him that he’s smart, mentioning his and Oikawa’s little debates which everyone else has learnt to tune out by now, the girl clearly having not only listened, but actively paid attention to them... damn. He understands now why none of his other relationships ever worked out.

How can someone so perfect be real?

And not only real, but staring up at him like that. No one looks at him like that. It’s always Oikawa for his looks and charm, or Akaashi for his music, or Bokuto for his muscles and amazing personality. Never him. 

He’s accepted that in his group of friends he’s nothing special - not to be dramatic and self-deprecating, but just because he knows how amazing they all are. How worthy of notice and love they all are. 

Yet, here she is, giving him the same look he’s seen countless fans give Nishinoya after one of his amazing receives and Iwaizumi when he patches someone up after a rough fall. Does she...

No. She can’t possibly like me like that. I’m just projecting.

Realising an awkward amount of time has gone by since her outburst, he feels a smirk come to his face and decides to fuck it all to hell. He doesn’t care if she doesn’t like him back, he’s lucky enough to have her as a friend and that’s good enough.

And yet, he can’t resist leaning down to plant a soft kiss on her rosy cheek, smile widening as he watches red burst across her face, drowning out her soft freckles, mouth opening and closing in shock. That’s a view he could get used to.

“Thanks, Kitten. That might just be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

Mouth closing with a huff, Yachi sends him a glare. “You knew that would fluster me,” she says, Kuroo’s eyebrow raising in surprise at her forwardness.

“Maybe,” he replies playfully, before turning back to his work, “gives me a hell of a lot more motivation to do this work though!”

Sighing in defeat, Yachi lets her head fall back to rest against the booth. This boy will be the end of her! “Well then get working,” she quips, eyes falling shut as she tries to rein in her emotions.

Turning once more to stare at her serene face, betrayed by the blush still going strong on her cheeks, Kuroo smiles to himself and settles back into his work, though not as deeply as before. It takes a minute, but eventually he feels Yachi pull herself up and go back to her work, too.

They continue on in companionable silence, broken every so often by mundane questions from Yachi, typically occurring every time Kuroo can feel himself getting aggravated with the equations and formulas racing around in his brain. Knowing the girl is keeping an eye on him and making sure he doesn’t fall back into a rut, makes Kuroo’s heart swell. It’s the kind of behaviour his best friends of 4 or 5 years show. Knowing they have only been friends for 2 months or so, and yet she is already in tune with him enough to know how he works and how best to help him... it means so much more to him than she could ever realise. 

He doesn’t let people in. Almost all of his friends are friends from school and volleyball who he has come to know through years of trust. Sure, he has some uni course friends and whatnot, but even those friendships took the better part of first year to formulate and grow into something substantial. Only 2 months to have this kind of relationship with someone is pretty much unheard of for Kuroo. 

Yet, he can’t bring himself to regret a single thing about it.

Lost in his own thoughts, it takes a while for him to notice the warmth at his side is gone. Looking up wildly, he spots her across the table from him, tongue sticking out in concentration as she scribbles in her sketchpad. Eyes flitting up to look at him briefly, before doing a double take.

“O-Oh, s-sorry!” She says sheepishly.

“For what?”

“Erm... I’m kind of— I might be— maybe... drawing you? More specifically your eyes...” she trails off.

“You’re... Drawing.... Me?”

“Err... yeah. Do you want me to stop..?”

“N-No,” he stutters for the second time that night, damn what’s going on with you Kuroo? Clearing his throat he tries again. “No, that’s fine... why?”

“Why?” Yachi asks, tilting her head in confusion.

“Yeah. Why are you drawing me? I’m not exactly a model like Oikawa,” he jokes.

Smiling in return, Yachi replies, “believe me, I’ve looked at Oikawa’s face enough for today,” tilting her head towards her still open laptop.

Glancing at the screen, Kuroo laughs loudly, seeing Oikawa and Makki’s faces staring intently at his own.

“Oh my god. How long did they have to bug for until you agreed to do that?”

“Hmm only 2 hours or so,” she says, tapping the end of her pencil against her plump lips, voice sly and mocking, causing him to laugh again. This girl.

“Well, I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to make them look good, so well done,” he jokes back.

“With great difficulty,” Yachi says, nodding solemnly, before her lips twitch, breaking out into laughter. “Nah, it was hardly difficult, those two are so naturally pretty it’s unfair.”

“True. Damn them and their good genes!”

“I know! Keeping all the good stuff for themselves? How selfish!”

The two go back and forth, before dissolving into giggles, the tension that has been hanging in the air fully dissipating with well-needed laughter.

Wiping at his eyes, Kuroo meets her gaze with a smile, “seriously though. You’re drawing me?”

“Mhmm!” Yachi nods enthusiastically, “well, your eyes to be specific. I’ve been itching to draw all day and I was pretty much finished my assignment... god this is embarrassing,” she says, tilting her head down with a titter, before glancing up at his eyes again, “I just. I looked over at you and you had this... LOOK in your eyes. I don’t know what you were thinking about, but I was just like ‘I have to draw it!’... you have really pretty eyes, you know?” She says quickly, dipping her head once more.

...

You.

I was thinking about you. Kuroo’s mind provides the answer readily enough. Not ready to admit such a thing, he chooses to focus on the other part of her speech instead.

“You think I have pretty eyes?” And while to others it may seem as though he’s fishing for compliments, he’s genuinely startled - something Yachi picks up on.

“You DON’T think your eyes are pretty?! They’re stunning, Kuroo!” She replies emphatically.

“Oh... thanks, I guess,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, a shy, rare grin forcing its way onto his face. “No one has ever told me that before, actually...”

“What?! You’re kidding...” Yachi says, eyes widening in surprise.

“Mmm,” Kuroo hums, shaking his head in the negative, “nope. Never. People always say my eyes are creepy or that they make me look like I’m planning something nefarious.”

“I mean, true,” Yachi agrees with a shrug, causing Kuroo to bark out a laugh, “I thought that when I first met you too, but I also thought they were stunning. I mean, they’re gold! You can’t seriously tell me no ones ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?”

“Nope... You’re the first. Kenma and Bo both have gold eyes too... it’s usually theirs that people focus on,” he says softly, smiling over at her in awe and wonder. He’ll be forever grateful that he was sat in this alcove on that fateful day 2 months ago, and not some other asshole. 

He genuinely can’t imagine life without her now. Ooof. That’s a bit deep Kuroo, rein it in a little! 

Sending him an equally soft smile back, Yachi says, “well I’m glad someone’s finally told you, ‘cause you deserve to hear it,” before she picks up her pencil, gesturing to the pad in front of her, “so, you don’t mind if I continue?” 

“Not at all.”

“Great!” She says, humming happily as he continues to stare at her, instead of studying for his exam, meeting her eyes every time they flit up to observe him for her sketch, sending her gentle smiles as he leans him chin onto his hand, content to sit back for a while and watch her draw.

Yeah, he thinks. I could get used to this.


	25. There’s Nothing Plain About You, Yachi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 350 kudos!!! 
> 
> Wowowow I have so much to say... 
> 
> I want to thank everyone that has given my instagram a like and messaged me - interacting with you all honestly means the world to me and everyone has been so kind and loving and supportive, it’s amazing! 
> 
> I also want to mention that we are now 10 CHAPTER AWAY FROM THE END!! Ahhh! Can you believe it?! This fic truly makes me so happy and I’m going to be so sad to see it end, but I have plenty more fic ideas (plus possibly a TeruTsukki spin off mini fic?) in the works, so dont worry, I’m not going anywhere!
> 
> As for this chapter... I’m just gonna go ahead and say it right now... from the bottom of my heart... my bad.
> 
> No no, in all seriousness though this chapter is a bit rough, so I’m putting in a TRIGGER-WARNING for Bullying, Verbal abuse and Physical abuse. PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION.
> 
> I hope you all stay safe, healthy and happy between now and the next update (which may be on Wednesday, it may be the weekend, I’m not sure yet).
> 
> Feel free to kudos, comment and now DM! But if thats not your thing, it’s totally cool <3 I love you all, My sweet volleybabes xoxo

Time flies by for Yachi in a mix of work and play, she and Kuroo falling into a routine of having library study sessions every other day as winter break draws nearer. Sometimes they are joined by others, sometimes it’s just them. Yachi finds she has come to really appreciate this time together, the two working in comfortable, quiet harmony.

It’s during one of these quiet times that Kuroo brings up two things; his birthday and their next volleyball game.

Officially inviting her, Yachi sheepishly admits she already knew and may or may not have drunkenly invited Tsukishima, causing Kuroo to burst into raucous laughter, before ruffling the top of her silky hair with fondness.

“Of course he can come - honestly, I’m kind of glad you asked him, because if I had he probably would have said no, purely to piss me off.”

Giggling at the truth in his words, she nods her head, thoroughly in agreement. She’s already had confirmation that he will be there and will stay at her flat - unless a certain someone asks him over instead. 

Not that she would tell Kuroo that.

The second topic comes up a little later, thrown into the silence casually.

“Oh, by the way, our next volleyball game is on the 13th. We’ll be playing against the demon twins and a little giant to rival your own chibi-chan,” he says with a grin thrown her way.

“O-Oh... well, I’m sure you guys will do amazingly! You’ll need to tell me all about it later!” She says, feigning enthusiasm. Honestly? Shes gutted about missing one of their games, but mending fences with Akaashi has to come first - plus she is genuinely excited to hear him play, having heard about it from numerous friends now.

“Tell you...? You wont be there?!” Kuroo asks, voice rising to such a high pitch it causes Yachi to wince.

“N-No... I have p-plans that night... sorry Kuroo.”

“Oh. Well. What are you doing, then?”

“Well, you see... Akaashi actually invited me to his concert at Halloween... and it’s on the same night as your match. He seemed pretty sad that none of his friends would be able to go, so I said that I would be happy to!”

The sorrow on Kuroo’s face morphs into amazement and awe. “I thought you didn’t know Akaashi...”

“I don’t! Not really...” Yamaguchi’s voice rings out in her head, urging her to ‘tell them what happened with Akaashi...’ No. No, she couldn’t possibly now. Not when things are getting better between her and Akaashi... it’s just not possible. Pasting on a smile, she looks up at Kuroo. “I don’t know Akaashi-san at all, but I know how important he is to all of you, so I want to be his friend too!”

The warmth in Kuroo’s expression makes her shoulders soften in contentment. Shes doing the right thing not telling him.

It’s that warm expression she remembers now as she carries her jittery limbs through the doors to the University Theatre. She’s here. It’s finally time.

Looking about in awe, she takes it all in. High-domed ceilings, rows upon rows of plush, red, velvet seats. Hard, polished wooden floors to help amplify the sound. Golden embellishments and designs flowing up the walls and around the columns that hold up the first and second floors. 

Not sure what proper etiquette dictated for going to the theatre, Yachi decided that formal dress was her best option.

Wandering through the open space as people mill about chatting, she receives quite a few looks and smiles, giving her slightly more confidence. Even if she has no idea what she’s doing, at least people seem to think she belongs!

Wearing white, 3-inch stilettos, she stands tall and confident, knowing if she walks like a hesitant fauntling like she normally does, she’ll just fall over. A knee-length, silk, wrap dress twists and curls around her body, thick pastel pink and white stripes giving the illusion of a more curvaceous stature. A matching pink shawl hangs across her arms, the theatre’s chill causing her to wrap it tighter around her body. Minimal makeup as always, and softly curled hair that bounces against the top of her shoulders completes the look, and even Yachi will admit, she looks good. 

She’s not standout or model-worthy, but she’s pretty and she looks the part.

Twisting her head left and right, she looks for some kind of backstage sign, before huffing a sigh and going to ask one of the security guards for help. Things are never simple in life.

Thankfully the guard is very helpful and after checking the VIP list - VIP?!? - she is allowed through a well-concealed door, hidden by a thick, gaudy curtain.

Leading her through twists and turns, she watches in awe as other players go about in dashing suits and beautiful dresses - will there be more than just Akaashi playing tonight? - tuning instruments or performing vocal exercises. So lost in the magical, musical world she seems to have stumbled into, she barely realises they have stopped outside of a door with the name ‘Akaashi Keiji’ plastered across the front of it.

Smiling at the guard in thanks who throws her a wink in return, she ignores her churning stomach and knocks on the door.

Deja vu washes over her, causing her skin to bubble with goosebumps when she hears a quiet “come in,” being called from within. Hoping today goes better than Halloween did, she pushes the door open gently.

Akaashi Keiji is stood facing the door with a gentle smile on his face, backlit by a huge mirror with dazzling lightbulbs all around it’s edges. He looks ethereal. Hair artfully tousled, wearing tight, black dress pants with dark silver embroidery down the sides, and a buttoned, black dress shirt, he could be in magazines.

“Wow, you look amazing!” Yachi whispers shouts, not wanting to break the serene silence of the dressing room, but also needing to vent some of her nervous excitement.

Smile growing wider, Akaashi utters a soft, “thank you, so do you,” before gesturing to the sofa on one side of the small room. 

Grateful to be off her feet and those dangerous high heels, Yachi pulls her legs up under her and turns to face Akaashi who has now taken a perch on the other side.

“So... how are you feeling?” Good start Hitoka. Not awkward at all.

A light chuckles comes from the boy, causing her own shoulders to drop some of their tension. “Nervous.”

“What? Really?! But you seem so...”

“Calm?”

“Yeah!”

He laughs again, louder this time, “I know. It’s just my face. I’ve been told by Oikawa that I’m not very expressive, causing a lot of people to think I’m unemotional... but I’m not. I get nervous the same as everyone else.”

“O-Of course, I didn’t mean to assume—”

“It’s alright,” he cuts her off, smiling, “honestly, you sounded like Bokuto which... helps. A lot.”

“It’s a shame he can’t be here... we could try ringing him if you want? I’m pretty sure the match wont have started yet.”

“No, no. It’s okay. I’ve got to let him focus... I know he’d be here if he could be,” he says, voice trailing off as he gets a wistful look in his eyes.

“Yeah, he would be.” Yachi agrees softly, not wanting to break the intimate atmosphere.

“What about you?”

“Hmm? What about me?”

“Are you not wishing you were there to support Kuroo right now?”

“Oh! Well...” she draws the word out, trying to figure out how to put her thoughts into words. “He knows I’m here with you, and you asked me first... plus I’ve been to his last two games and I’ve never heard you play before - which I’ve wanted to do since Bokuto first mentioned it - so... no? I want to be here! Plus, you should have someone out in the stands cheering for you too...” she says, head ducking as a blush covers her cheeks.

A cool, gentle hand grips her chin, forcing her face back up. Gray/blue eyes stare into hers intently, before giving her cheek a soft stroke. “I can see what they all see in you. You’re pretty amazing, Yachi.”

“W-Who, me? Ahaha, nah! I’m just normal. Your plain old jane, yep that’s me!”

Grinning at her endearing rambling, Akaashi jumps in before she can continue. “There’s nothing plain about you, Yachi.”

“T-Thank you, Akaashi...”

“You’re welcome.” He replies softly, the two staring at one another in the dim lights, a bond forming between the quiet pair as they finally start to understand each other. 

“So, what do you know about things like this?” He asks, drawing back to wave his hand in the air, gesturing to the theatre as a whole.

Surprised by the change in subject, Yachi laughs lightly as his question penetrates her brain. “Nothing. I know absolutely nothing - I’m so lost!”

Chuckling at her honest reply, he begins to explain, “well, there will be three performers tonight. The first two each have 30 minutes of stage time, with a 10 minute interval after both. The first performer is Futakuchi Kenji, who is playing a piano set - he’s really good. Like me, there will be an orchestra underneath the stage that will perform accompaniments to certain pieces to... heighten the experience, I guess you could say. No one wants to listen to violin and only violin for over an hour,” he says abashedly. “The second performance is by a duo, that I actually knew in highschool.”

“You did? They went to Fukurodani too?”

Akaashi’s face morphs into one of surprise, hearing that. “You know what high school I went to?”

“Yeah! Bokuto tells stories all the time! Plus he and Kuroo are constantly bickering about which school was better - I believe the term ‘Fukurodani-trash’ has been thrown down in challenge a couple of times,” she giggles.

“Ahh, I see,” Akaashi breathes, smiling fondly, “but no, they didn’t go to Fukurodani. They actually went to a different highschool that we had regular volleyball training camps with, Shinzen. Ogano Daiki, their captain, is a renowned harpist in Univeristy circles, having gained a lot of attention in highschool for it. While he was there, he and their volleyball manager, Otaki Mako, formed a duo. He plays and she sings - it’s pretty magical, I always enjoy listening to them perform,” he says a gentle look crossing his face.

“Wow, that sounds amazing... I can’t wait to hear you all perform even more now!” She says, pumping her fist with enthusiasm.

Laughing at the display, Akaashi nods, “yes, they are all really talented, and then there’s me. I’ll be going last with an hour long set... honestly, Daiki and Mako should have been given the set... they are much better performers than I am.”

“I highly doubt that’s true.” Yachi states bluntly, Akaashi, spluttering as he turns to look at her wide eyed. “Sure, I haven’t heard any of you play yet, but I’ve spent a lot of time the past 2 months hearing about how amazing your playing is, whether its from the guys and Kenma, or Suzumeda and Yukie. Say what you want about those girls, but they are dedicated fans for a reason - and it’s not just your good looks,” she jokes, smiling at him softly. She knows a lot about downplaying your abilities. 

“... Thank you, Yachi.”

“You’re welcome! So you said you would be playing accompanied by the orchestra too?”

“Oh. Yes. I will be playing an hour long set on the violin. I can play a couple of other instruments and sometimes during concerts I mix it up, but our performances today are being graded for one of our modules, so I have to stick to just one instrument.”

“Woah... that’s amazing, Akaashi! I can’t even play the triangle!” Yachi laughs. Genuinely, she can’t. “To be able to play something as difficult as the violin for an entire hour nonstop...” her fingers hurt just thinking about it.

Smiling at her response, Akaashi reveals, “well I have been playing since I was 7. I could probably play nonstop for about... 4 or 5 hours? But my fingers would be destroyed.”

“That’s crazy!”

“Well, I often play for stretches of 2-3 hours when practicing or recording songs, so...”

“Wait. You record songs? As in the songs you write?”

“Yes...?”

“That’s amazing! Do you have an album?”

“I...” Akaashi hesitates in the face of her enthusiasm, “ yes... I have a couple, but I haven’t shown them to anyone yet.”

“Oh... well, why not?”

Akaashi stays silent for a while, a frown marring his face, causing Yachi to regret asking the question, but unable to rescind it now. 

“I guess... I’m scared?” He admits, eyes flickering towards her, her blonde tresses bobbing encouragingly. “Once I release them, that’s it. I can’t ever take them back. Anyone who is scouting me or looking into my work to hire me, will listen to them. So if they are bad, that could be my entire career over... one bad song can make or break an artist in this industry.”

Yachi had never thought about it like that - the kind of pressure that comes with it - and yet, she kind of understands. “One could say the same thing about art, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well... I do art here at uni, I don’t know if you knew that or not, and the pressure placed on your shoulders is way more immense than people realise. The portfolios we are making now will be part of our work forever. It all ends up online at the end of your degree for people to see. Art is like that for universities, they like to show it off, even if it isn’t your best work. But, your online portfolios are what different companies will be looking at when they are searching for new and upcoming artists - not your art instagram, or public profiles which only include the art you WANT them to see. All of your progress is put on display - the good, the bad and the ugly. One spectacularly bad piece can completely ruin someones chances of any kind of art career in the future... 

“so, while I know it’s not the same, I at least get a little of where you are coming from,” she finishes, “and hey! I’m no musical genius, but if you ever want someone to listen to it who isn’t a music guru, I would be more than happy to tell you what I think of them...” she adds on, smiling genuinely at the boy.

“... I’ve never thought about it like that before... You’re under that kind of pressure all the time?”

“Yep. Constantly. I love what I do, which helps, but I’m always worrying about whether or not what I produce is good enough.”

“Huh... I guess we have that in common then, Yachi,” he says, smiling back at her, jumping when a sharp knock to the door comes. Standing up, the smile slips from his face as he utters a commanding, “come in.” Very different from the one he said when she arrived.

A purple-haired girl pops her head in, a large headphone and mic set surrounding her face, smiling when she sees Akaashi, whose body loosens up considerably when he sees her. “The concert is starting in 10, ‘Kaashi, I was asked to guide your friend to her seat.”

“Of course, thank you...” he says, pausing to watch Yachi, who jumped up at the sound of her name and is quickly gathering what few belongings she brought with her. Waiting till she is standing with her shawl back across her arms, he leans down to grab his phone from the coffee table. Holding it out to the girl with a polite smile, he asks, “would you mind?”

“Of course!” Quickly reorganising the folders and equipment in her arms with an amazing kind of dexterity Yachi can only dream of having, the girl holds up the phone with a cheery, “smile you two!”

An arm curling around her waist makes her realise what is going on. Unable to put on a demure smile, Yachi shines brightly, eyes squishing shut with the ferocity of her grin. She’s so happy to be here.

Handing the phone back, Akaashi does a quick scan of the picture, before asking, “do you mind if I post this on my Instagram?”

Surprised by the request, Yachi nods enthusiastically, not trusting her throat to make words right now.

Smiling down at her, he gives her shoulder a quick squeeze before pulling away. “I’ll look for you in the crowd.”

Honoured by the statement, Yachi pumps her fist into the air once more, “I’ll be the one cheering the loudest!”

Chucking at her behaviour, he smiles and nods to the purple-haired technician, who grabs Yachi gently by the arm and pulls her back through twisting corridors into the auditorium. Sliding through the now-large crowds, clamouring to get to their seats before it starts, she is taken up a flight of stairs and down to the front row...

She’s in the front row of the grand circle!

Even as an uncultured theatre-goer, Yachi knows just how expensive and sought-after these seats are - and she has no doubt that others have paid to be here. 

Fidgeting in her seat, she gets comfortable just as the lights dim and the cacophony of noise fades. A tall man with long, blonde hair walks across the stage with a hop in his step, to introduce the first musician: Futakuchi Kenji.

Raucous applause, and a couple of whistles from along the front row where she is sitting, makes her body relax. Ahhh, she isn’t the only person here to support a friend. She guesses that the front row of the grand circle was reserved for friends and families of the performers, the girl smiling softly with the knowledge that she is now included in that category.

The lights cut out for 30 seconds, some rustling occuring, soft footsteps able to be heard, before a single spotlight shines down onto a piano and a man sitting before it.

The entire audience holds its breath as the boys fingers slam down onto the keys and sound erupts through the building.

•••

Entering her silent flat, Yachi breathes out a sigh. It’s been a long and wonderful night. 

Futakuchi’s piano playing was aggressive and loud, demanding that the audience shut up and listen. Absolutely enraptured, Yachi barely registered time passing. It was only when he stood up and took a bow that Yachi realised his set was over. 

Standing up alongside the others in her row, they whooped and cheered louder than the rest of the theatre combined, earning themselves some dirty looks, but not caring. They all knew how much time and effort and pain and hardwork went into that performance - like hell were they going to stay quiet and clap demurely like the rest of the theatre.

A quick break was all the time Yachi had before she was thrown into the mesmerising world of the harp. Unlike the aggressive, loud nature of the piano before, this set was magical. Soft and ethereal. Yachi felt as if she has been transported to some elven pavilion, where people should be dancing and drinking and enjoying themselves in whimsical pleasure.

It’s safe to say she cheered just as loudly for that performance as the one before. She could understand why Akaashi was so in awe of them. 

And finally, it was Akaashi’s turn.

Nothing could have prepared her for the beauty that was Akaashi playing.

Caught somewhere between the two previous performances, Akaashi’s playing was breathtaking. Harder and louder than Daiki and Mako’s performance, but lacking the classical air of Futukachi’s... his was a passionate fantasy that wrapped her up and dragged her along for the ride.

Songs of love and lust and loss, of aching and yearning and bleeding for that love... every single song was a serenade - no, an Ode - to Bokuto. 

Tears poured down her face as she was pulled along by the music. THIS was why he got the hour slot. For the other two performances, she was there and she was listening and loving them, but she was always aware of her surroundings and the theatre and that they were performing for University.

But with Akaashi... 

Akaashi’s performance didn’t invite you to come along and experience it’s twists and turns, it grabbed you by the wrist and tugged you, stumbling along, behind it. Racing faster than your feet could ever carry you, just barely keep pace, unable to stop for breath, never knowing which way you would turn next. Akaashi’s music... it was new and exciting and different to anything she had ever heard before...

It felt like falling in love, with all of the pain and excitement that comes with it.

Smiling at the memory, Yachi quietly closes and locks the door behind her. Tonight has been one of the best nights of her life. She’s so grateful to Akaashi for welcoming her apologies and agreeing to make amends. He’s someone she can truly see herself calling a good friend.

Pushing herself away from the door, turning towards their flat’s tiny kitchen to get a glass of water - she’s absolutely parched from whistling and shouting so much - she freezes, locking eyes with Suzumeda and Yukie, who are sat at the dining table with their phones in their hands.

Smiling awkwardly at them, Yachi continues forwards, not getting more than a couple of steps into the kitchen when a screech of wood against tile meets her ears. 

Whipping around, she turns to see Yukie has stood up from the table and is leaning her hands against it, glaring at her with ferocity - more than Yachi has ever received from her before.

“Y-Yukie-san... i-is everything alright?”

“Y-Y-Y-Y-Yukie-san!” She mimics, voice high pitched and aggravated. “Is everything alright? Are you kidding me?!”

“I-I’m sorry if you’ve h-had a bad night,” Yachi tries, placatingly, “j-just let me get a glass of water and I’ll get out the w-w-way,” she stutters, turning back to the sink.

As quickly as she can, Yachi pulls out a glass and fills it with water, trying desperately to ignore the tense silence in the room behind her, hand shaking as she turns off the tap.

“That’s a nice dress you’re wearing, YACCHAN,” Suzumeda’s voice mocks bitingly from right behind her, Yachi turning around quickly in her shock, the other girl having managed to sneak right behind her. Leaning into Yachi’s personal space, she continues, hissing, “was it expensive? It looks expensive,” grabbing a hold of the hem and rubbing it through her fingers, “feels expensive too... I bet Akaashi thought it was pretty.”

It’s at this point that Yachi’s eyes widen, finally taking in what Suzumeda and Yukie are wearing. 

Both the girls are in dresses too, though neither of them are as formal or expensive as Yachi’s seems to be, but they clearly made and effort - and it hadn’t been to go somewhere like a club, the outfits far too dressy for something like a bar... outifts more fitting of a visit, to say, the theatre perhaps... 

“Imagine our surprise when we went to see our dear Akaashi’s performance, only to find you in the ‘friends and family’ section.”

“We thought we had managed to break you up!” Yukie jumps in, voice rising to a shout.

“W-We were never a couple!” Yachi tries indignantly, “I told you this, Suzumeda!”

Suzumeda clicks her teeth, looking disinterestedly at her nails. “You said something similar if I remember correctly... but you’re a lying little whore, so why would I trust anything you say?” She asks, voice saccharine sweet.

“Why would I lie?!” Yachi asks, shouting in panic.

“Because you knew what we would do to you if we found out about you together...” she says, eyes finally flicking up from her nails to pin her with a cold, dead look. “I left you alone the past couple of weeks because I thought you had come to your senses - or rather, I thought Akaashi had come to his senses and dumped your pathetic ass - but here I find out that you SOMEHOW managed to wiggle your way back into his life! And don’t bother lying, you’re not very good at it.... the stammer gives it away.” She whispers conspiringly. “Well... the stammer AND Akaashi’s instagram...”

Dread curls in Yachi’s gut as she remembers Akaashi asking her earlier in the night if he could post that picture of them online. Oh how she wishes she had properly thought about that request for just a second!

And now, they think they have all the evidence they need against her - and Yachi can’t prove that any of their suspicions are lies without outing Akaashi as gay, which she is NOT going to do.

Unable to come up with a response, Yachi tries to control her shaking as she stares down the girls. Theres nothing else she can do...

“Fine. We’re dating. Are you happy now?!” She asks, allowing all of her frustration and hurt from the past couple of months to seep into her voice.

Cold drenches her body as, with a screech, Yukie grabs the glass of water that was still in her hand and chucks it all over her. Gasping at the cold, Suzumeda’s voice cuts through the white noise in her ears. “I bet Akaashi wont like your pretty, expensive dress now... he wont like you at all by the end of this.”

Not fully understanding Suzumeda’s meaning, Yachi cries out in shock as pain suddenly lances through her calves. The glass that Yukie had been holding is now smashed on the floor, slivers of glass cutting into Yachi’s shins from where they rebounded off the floor.

She barely has time to register the pain, before a bruising grip on her forearm pulls her through the glass - thank goodness she didn’t take her heels off - and slams her against the wooden table, pain blossoming across her lower back.

Opening her mouth to shout in retaliation, a hard blow to the stomach knocks the wind out of her. Two more in rapid succession to her side and ribs causes her to curl in on herself, dropping to the floor with a whimper, the shards of glass in her calves pushing even deeper.

A hand in her hair tugs harshly, making her scream, forcing her head to tilt upwards so that Suzumeda can see her face, the girl smiling when she notices the tears streaking down her cheeks.

“Now. What are you going to do?”

“What?!”

“I SAID,” she hisses, pulling Yachi’s head back with the fist grasping her roots, “what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” Yachi sobs, trying to shake her head, “I don’t know what you want me to do.”

“I want you TO STOP SEEING AKAASHI KEIJI!” She hollers, spittle flying from her lips as she glares at Yachi.

Oh.

Oh, she sees.

The flickering embers deep within Yachi’s stomach roar to life, flames twisting and licking through her insides as she turns her glare upon Suzumeda, fury burning in her honey eyes. Hurt her, sure, go for it. She can take it. But try and use her to hurt Akaashi? There’s no way in hell.

“I. Will. Not.” She states, voice dripping with venom. 

A war cry comes from behind Suzumeda as she is knocked out of the way, her hand falling from Yachi’s hair as Yukie begins pounding on her sides, the blows not as powerful as they were before, due to her crazed anger, but they are still strong enough to hurt. 

Crying out at the pain, Yachi claws at the girl on top of her, the other screaming out as she catches her face. “You awful bitch!”

“NO, YOU AWFUL BITCH!” Yachi shouts, louder than she ever has before, the other two falling silent in the face of her anger as she painfully drags herself to a stand, leaning against the table for support. “HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HURT AKAASHI LIKE THAT!” 

“HE’S OURS—”

“NO HE’S NOT!” Yachi all but screams, dry voice cracking, her patience having finally reached the end of its tether. “HE IS HIS OWN PERSON! You don’t OWN him! You have NO RIGHT to treat him the way you do!” She bends over as coughs wrack her body, letting out a humourless laugh as she stares at the blood trickling down her legs. “I’m done...” she whispers.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”

“I SAID I’M DONE! I’m done being a doormat! I’m done letting you walk all over me! I’m done trying to be nice to you! I’m done playing your little games when I don’t care about your drama in the slightest - I mean, don’t you get it?! I DON’T CARE!” She screams, voice hoarse, “I don’t care about you two at all...” she says, lifting her eyes from her ruined legs to stare at the two shellshocked girls in front of her. “Fuck this. I’m not going to let myself be bullied by you anymore.”

Turning away from the two with as much dignity as she can muster, she limps her way down the hall to her room, the silence in the kitchen behind her deafening.

Entering her room, she locks the door behind her, a shaking hand coming up to cover her mouth as her face scrunches up, tears wracking her body.

Sliding down to the ground, silent screams pour from her mouth, snot and drool drip to the floor as she weeps. Cradling her body with her arms, she rocks back and forth, trying to console herself. Taking deep, shuddering breaths, she organises what she has to do in her mind. One thing at a time, Hitoka.

Crawling across the carpet, she digs underneath her bed for her first aid kit, gently dragging her legs out from under her, biting on her lip to hold in her whimpers.

Methodically, Yachi begins to remove the pieces of glass from her legs, wiping the cuts with antiseptic and slapping colourful, rainbow plasters on them. It takes a good while, but eventually she gets all the glass out. Grabbing a couple of other items from the box, she cleans up her mess and slides it off to the side, unable to gather the motivation to tidy it properly.

Standing up, she sways side to side, wincing as her stomach and ribs pull. Shuffling across to the bathroom, Yachi sheds her dress as she does so, staring at herself in the mirror, clad only in her underwear and bruises. Purple and blue splotches have already started to blossom to the surface of her skin. Prodding at one of them with a hiss, Yachi gets to work. The ice patches and strips she grabbed from the first aid kit feel like heaven against her bruised skin as she generously applies them across her torso and sides, her waist on the left having taken a serious hit earlier on. Using bandages, she tapes around her middle, not really knowing what shes doing, but she’s seen them to it in movies before and it restricts her movement, meaning she’s less likely to jar her injuries in her sleep. 

Satisfied that she’s done all she can, she tugs on her fluffy dressing gown, turning back towards her room with a sigh. Making her way towards her bed, a fluttering piece of paper pinned to the wall catches her eye.

Smiling for the first time since entering her flat that night, she slowly limps across the room, swiping a pink ballpoint pen from her desk. Uncapping it with her teeth, she brings the pen up to the lone piece of paper hanging on the wall with a shaking hand. With a smirk to herself, Yachi places the pen onto the paper, dragging it horizontally across it with strength, back and forth and back and forth.

Stepping back to look at her work, she grins, turning away to go to sleep.

YACHI’S TO-DO LIST!!!  
(Written by Yamaguchi Tadashi)

1) S̶t̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶S̶u̶z̶u̶m̶e̶d̶a̶

2) Find somewhere else to live

3) Tell the guys what happened

4) M̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶u̶p̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶A̶k̶a̶a̶s̶h̶i̶

5) Talk to your mother


	26. Kuroo.exe Has Stopped Working

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM A TEASE!!!
> 
> I would say I’m sorry... but I’m really not.
> 
> Next chapter - and im pretty sure it’s the longest one yet? Holy cow! 
> 
> I hope y’all like it and that you don’t hate me too much for teasing you like I do o.O the next 9 chapters are going to be full speed ahead with plenty of drama and sweetness to satisfy all your angsty, fluffy souls. 
> 
> Message me on insta (Elizandre22) if you wanna talk about the chapter in depth! Feel free to comment or kudos, I love hearing from you all! If that’s not your thing, don’t worry about it :D I love you all regardless <3
> 
> Don’t think I have anything left to say... 
> 
> STAY FUNKY MY VOLLEYBABES! Peace out ✌🏼 xoxo

Shrugging into his leather jacket, Kuroo turns left and right, analysing his appearance in the mirror - is the leather jacket too much? It’s just a birthday party, after all...

Sighing to himself, he saunters out into the hallway, knocking on the door across from him. It only takes a second for the door to blow open with such a force that Kuroo feel’s his bedhead waving jovially. Standing in the doorway, the bedroom’s participant vibrates with energy.

“Yo, you ready, bro?”

With a noncommittal hum, he pushes past Bokuto to stand in front of his friend’s mirror instead, hoping the change of scenery will help him come to some kind of decision.

It doesn’t.

Flitting his eyes across to his best friend, he takes in the grey-haired boy’s appearance. Tight, light blue, skinny jeans hug his well-muscled legs, a white muscle shirt with deep arm holes hanging loosely from his traps, fitting nicely over his wide frame. The loose sides showing off thick, tanned arms, allowing a peek at his stellar abs when he twists his body the right way. Damn, he is overdressed.

Turning back to the mirror, he sighs again. Black, ripped jeans and a tight, black, slightly sheer t-shirt hug his frame, the top hinting at his own well-formed abs when the light hits it just right. A black and red plaid shirt tied around his waist, doc martins and his leather jacket compete the look... it is a bit much.

“Should I lose the jacket?”

“Hell naw!” Comes the enthusiastic response from his friend, making him grin, “it’s your birthday man, wear whatever you want! You look hot,” he says, fanning his hand towards his face in an exaggerated motion.

“Yeah?”

“Hell yeah! If I wasn’t into Akaashi and you weren’t into Yachi, you’d totally be my first choice for boyfriend!”

Smiling to himself, he tugs on the jacket collar once more, making sure it’s lying correctly, before turning away from the mirror to face Bokuto properly. “You really think I should go for it?” They both know he’s not talking about the jacket anymore.

“Well, you like her don’t you?”

“More than I’ve ever liked anyone,” he admits with a huff, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Then there’s no reason not to! I’ve seen your other relationships man, and you’ve never acted like this with any of them... it’s different this time. We all know it is.”

“Everyone?”

“Well... I still think Tanaka is holding out hope that it’s just a phase and you will get bored of her.”

Kuroo smirks at Bokuto’s wince, remembering how he confronted his friend when he finally got in from Karaoke that night - it seems so long ago now. 

Yeah, having that conversation with Tanaka hadn’t been pleasant, but recalling the uncomfortable look on Yachi’s face when she admitted to Oikawa that she had lied about liking someone to get Tanaka to back off... there was no way he wouldn’t have said something. 

Like the good bro he is though, once Tanaka realised he had already called dibs on the girl, he backed off. For now.

“He’s not going to have her. Even if she turns me down, she wouldn’t go for him out of respect for our friendship - she’s sweet like that...” Too sweet for her own good.

“So you’re gonna do it then?!” Bokuto asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet gently, clearly making an effort to hold back his excitement.

“Yeah,” he admits, laughing gruffly as his feet suddenly leave the floor, Bokuto spinning him round in circles.

“Yes, yes, yes! My best friend’s getting himself a girlfriend - this is gonna be so great!”

“You don’t know for sure that she will say yes, Bo.” He chastises his friend.

“But why would she say no?!”

“Because she likes someone else? Because she has other things to focus on? Because she’s not looking for a relationship right now? I don’t know Bo... I’m just trying not to get my hopes up too much, man.”

Bokuto taps on his lips in thought for a moment, silence hovering awkwardly between the two of them. “I mean yeah, but there’s always that possibility, right? For anyone who asks someone out. You’re putting yourself out there and you might end up getting hurt, but it’s worth it to try because if it goes right, it could be the most amazing thing to ever happen to you...”

Mouth gaping open in shock, Kuroo shakes his head in amazement. It’s easy to forget just how intuitive his friend is, the beefy man regularly falling into moods because of how empathetic he is, being strongly influenced by the feelings and emotions of others.

“You’re right, my man,” Kuroo says, walking over to clasp his best friend’s shoulder tightly, “and she’s more than worth the risk.” Walking away and out into the corridor to the whoops of excitement from his friend, he turns, eyebrow raised in amusement, “you coming or what?”

Scrabbling, heavy footfalls sound behind him as Bokuto grabs the things he needs for tonight. Sighing out in the hallway where his friend can’t see him, Kuroo’s smirk drops into a frown. He really hopes it will be worth it...

Because it’s his birthday - and tonight? He’s confessing to Yachi Hitoka.

•••

“For fucks sake, come on! You’ve been in that bathroom for an hour or something. I know you want to impress your boyfriend, but it doesn’t normally take you this long to get ready—” the blond cuts off with a choked noise as Yachi opens the door to the ensuite bathroom and jabs at his stomach.

How is she supposed to explain that it took her so long to get ready because pulling on an outfit takes her at least 5 minutes due to her achingly sensitive ribs - one of which she’s pretty sure is fractured - and that trying to cover wounds with makeup without them looking cakey or obvious is difficult... especially when it’s not bruising, but scratch marks.

Damn, Yukie really did a number on her face with those fake nails of hers. Thankfully, Kuroo’s party is being held in a rented out pub across campus. The low lighting will hopefully hide anything off about her face and she can only pray Tsukki wont suddenly notice, the two having spent most of the afternoon together, Yachi wearing a decent layer of concealer and foundation all day.

Twirling around to stare at herself in the mirror she twists her lips with worry - is she too dressed up?

Voicing the question in her head to Tsukki, he shakes his in return with a sigh about ‘bloody women and their worries about clothes’. Stepping up behind her, so she can see them both in the mirror at the same time, he wraps his arms around her shoulders, laying his chin on her head, the other playing off her wince of pain as a jump in surprise, despite having been aware of his approach.

“You look great,” he says, eyes appraising her outfit properly for the first time, “very girly and you.”

“Girly?” She questions, tilting her head in debate. She supposes she can understand what he’s saying. 

A soft, white, cropped jumper hangs loosely across the top half of her petite frame, the front tucked into high-waisted, grey, ripped skinny jeans to ensure as little of her skin is on display as possible. The same white heels she wore to Akaashi’s concert are on her feet, the girl having meticulously plucked shards of glass out from the soles of them. She had wanted to wear a lilac, skater skirt tonight, but the scabs on her legs from where the glass got her are still too obvious. She feels overdressed - I mean, its a birthday party at a pub, she should be baring more skin than just her face and neck, but hiding her injuries is more important.

Sighing out - this is as good as it’s gonna get, she thinks - she picks up a black, leather purse to match her darker eyeshadow - she may or may not have messaged Saeko about how to wear black eyeshadow without looking like a racoon - and grabs a red gift bag, before linking arms with Tsukishima with a giggle, tugging him out the door quickly, thanking the gods that Yukie and Suzumeda have ignored her thus far, since her breakdown on Saturday.

She’s going to have a good night tonight if it kills her. It’s Kuroo’s birthday after all - there’s no way it’s not going to be wild.

•••

Pounding music and raucous laughter can be heard from down the street as Tsukki and Yachi approach the building. Checking her phone quickly, Yachi sees they are only arriving 30 minutes later than the designated invitation time... this many people have showed up already?! Just how popular is Kuroo...

Walking forwards, she steps up to the building and hesitantly opens the door. The noise intensifies making Yachi flinch back as her senses are suddenly assaulted with stimulation.

Flashing lights blink in and out across the dancefloor, which happens to be situated directly in front of the entrance - directly in front of Yachi. Bodies heave and writhe in front of her face as she takes it all in, wide eyes blinking frantically.

Turning to the left, she sees that a third of the dancefloor’s occupants are situated before an uplifted stage, where Kuroo is currently singing a terrible rendition of Kesha’s ‘Tik Tok’ with Oikawa, the partygoers on floor lapping it up, boisterous laughter booming from all around.

A steady hand on her elbow causes Yachi to jump, realising she is still blocking the doorway. A soft tug pulls her gently behind her tall friend as he wades through the dancers with purpose, turning occasionally with a raised eyebrow to check that Yachi is okay. Smiling and nodding to show her content status, she stares at the bodies around her in awe... so this is what a real University party is like...

So absorbed in her surroundings, she walks straight into Tsukishima’s back with a squeaked apology, pulling back to rub at her sore nose as she hears familiar chuckles laughing at her. Head darting upwards, she finally looks to see where Tsukki has brought her.

Three square tables have been pulled together to form one long one and all of her friends - bar Kuroo and Oikawa - are sat around it, all at various states of inebriated. A soft puff of air on her cheek has her turning to her taller friend, pushing up onto her tiptoes so that he can be heard above the noise.

“I’ll go and get us some drinks.”

“Okay - get a few! No shots though!” She shouts with - her attempt at - a stern frown.

Smirking at his tiny friend’s pathetic attempt at being serious, he manages to sarcastically nod his assent, before heading off to the right where she can just barely see that the bar is situated, the crowd blocking most of her view.

Smiling at her friends she goes to perch on the end of the closest booth, but quickly finds herself squealing - both in shock and pain - as Iwaizumi picks her up and passes her across to Bokuto who sits her between himself and Akaashi.

Ahhh.

Hoping he thinks it’s just her awkwardness, and not that she’s in extreme pain, Yachi smiles wincingly at Akaashi, praying that he wont think she’s intruding on his and Bokuto’s relationship again. Thankfully, she is pleasantly surprised to find him sending her a soft, knowing smile, before darting his eyes up to Bokuto, and giving a fond eyeroll. 

Laughing at her newest friend’s antics, she turns to address Iwaizumi and Bokuto.

“You know you could have just asked me to climb over like a normal person, right?”

“Well yeah, but you weigh nothing, so it was easier this way!” Bokuto says, bouncing in his seat with elation and a slight sway. 

“I was perfectly fine sitting on the end!” She tries to object again, but Iwaizumi stops her with a grin.

“It’s fine Angel-chan, I promised Oikawa that I would do the next round of Karaoke with him, and then Bokuto is going up after me. We wouldn’t want you to have to keep getting up.”

Well, how can she argue with that? Smiling at her friend’s thoughtfulness, she gingerly settles into her seat, trying to find a comfortable position for her aching body, before joining in with the conversation.

Iwaizumi disappears a couple of minutes later - Oikawa and Kuroo having decided to grace the crowd with another song first - and Tsukishima quickly slides into his vacated seat, glaring Bokuto down fiercely as his hands go to the blond’s waist, as if to pick him up too. Thoroughly cowed by the glare, Bokuto gives a nervous laugh, before standing up to clamber across the younger boy, claiming something about getting ready for his set, hand darting out to grab Terushima as he passes. 

Looking down at the tray on the table, Yachi groans to see a set of 10 shots and 6 pint glasses of what she hopes is cider - she can assume three of those are for her.

Knowing that she’s going to need a couple of drinks in her if she’s going to get through the night without anyone catching on to her injuries, she sighs with a glare of her own towards the blond and downs two of the shots straight away, gagging as they burn a line down to her stomach.

“Eww, what the hell are they?! Where’s the sours shots?”

A sardonic chuckle comes from her left. “Sours is for pussies.”

“But that’s what Kuroo, Bokuto and Terushima got us last time...” she says with a frown.

“Exactly,” a deadpan voice from her right says, causing her to jump slightly, Akaashi’s arm reaching out to grab a shot of his own which he drinks without a wince. Setting the glass down, he jerks his head to the side, indicating to something on the stage, “does that look like a bunch of grown men that would drink proper shots to you?”

Lost in her own thoughts, she hadn’t realised that the song had changed. Glancing up she finds herself laughing as she watches Kuroo and Terushima strut about the stage while Bokuto twerks in the middle, Kuroo spinning to point at his friend as he shouts into the microphone, “oh my gosh! Look at her butt!” Terushima joining in for the next iteration.

Sighing, the three of them simultaneously pick up a shot each, clinking them together as Yachi shouts, “To mutual pining!” 

“To mutual pining.” The other two say with much less enthusiasm, before they all throw back the drinks together, wincing. 

Knowing three shots will not be enough to keep her pain at bay, Yachi picks up the closest pint and begins to steadily drink it. Fast enough that it goes to her head, but slow enough not to make the other two suspicious.

Ceremoniously ignoring the stage, the three of them fall into casual conversation, Yachi quickly moving onto her second drink, Akaashi drinking a couple more shots when Bokuto returns to the other side of the table, clearly trying his hardest to ignore the other’s presence. 

Having been drinking for 30 minutes longer than Tsukishima and Yachi, it doesn’t take long before their companions, spurred on by Nishinoya, are enticing them into a game of truth or dare. Apparently everyone gets one ‘pass’ - and only one - that they can use at any time during the game... and it doesn’t take long for Yachi to use hers.

“Truth or dare!” The table shouts, staring at her as she nurses her third drink, forehead creasing with indecision, before shouting out, “dare!” To the ‘oooh’s and ‘aaaah’s of those competing.

Unsurprisingly, it’s a deadpan voice from her left that calls out the dare, to the raucous applause of the table.

“I dare you to kiss the hottest person at the table,” Tsukishima snarks, lips curling as he knows who she finds the most attractive at the table and therefore will know if she lies and kisses someone else. No, she can’t. Not now - not at his birthday party! 

“Pass! Hard pass!” She calls out, to the groans and grumbles of those around her, deliberately not looking up to see if Kuroo is paying attention from the far side of the table.

“Well then, put your money where your mouth is, Tsukki! Truth or dare?” Tanaka says, teeth glinting in the dim lights as he sends her friend a shark-like grin.

Face emotionless, Tsukki raises an eyebrow in challenge as he says, “dare,” the table erupting into chaos once more.

Determined not to let the moment for revenge pass her by, Yachi leans forwards into her friends space to demand, “confess to your crush. Right now.”

Smiling because she knows she has won, she waits for her friend to pass, ignoring the shouts from behind her. Two can play at this game Tsukki, she thinks. 

However, her friend smirks back at her, leaning down closer to her as he says, “you’re on, Hitoka.” Before pushing himself to a stand, much to the shock of their wide eyed spectators, who are hanging onto every word that passes between the friends.

Turning away from the table, she watches as her friend slips gracefully onto the dancefloor, hand reaching out to grasp the shoulder of one dancing Terushima Yuuji.

The roars of the table get louder, but Yachi can barely hear them over the roaring of her own ears as she watches Tsukki lean down to say something close to bottle-blond’s ear. 

She might have thought he hadn’t confessed, had she not seen the shocked, but pleased expression on Yuuji’s face before he jumped up to wrap the other in a sloppy kiss, Tsukishima turning them so that he can look over his partners shoulder to make eye contact with Yachi, giving her a smirk as if to say ‘it’s your turn now,’ before going back to wantonly making out with Terushima, causing Yachi’s face to burn brightly.

Thankfully, she doesn’t have to wait long, before her view of the couple is cut off by Oikawa as he pulls her up from the seat, into a spin that leaves her head reeling and her sides aching. Yep. That’s enough drinking for now, she thinks, laughing at her own dizziness.

Grinning widely down at her, thankfully too drunk to notice her wincing, Oikawa pulls Yachi onto the dancefloor with a jovial chuckle. 

“Let’s sway, Angel!” He shouts, giggling at his own joke as Tendou stands on the stage, gyrating his hips in the air as he terribly sings, ‘Let’s Dance’ by David Bowie.

Laughing at her friends’ antics, Yachi joins Oikawa in his dancing, glad that she’s had enough alcohol to numb some of the pain in her torso, as he manhandles her in front of him to sway their hips together, fronts brushing against each other sensually. 

Blushing profusely at the raunchy dancing, Yachi giggles, giving in to her friend’s movements as she falls away into the music. 

It doesn’t take long before she feels a presence behind her, large, warm palms coming to hold her hips. Whipping her head around, she relaxes into the touch when she realises that it’s just Iwaizumi joining them. Knowing the kind of looks the two of them must have been getting, she can’t help but be glad for the older man’s warmth behind her. 

Getting back into the music, the three of them form a rhythm between them, laughing between song changes as they all fumble about and lose their footing, trying to find a new way to dance that fits the next song. 

She isn’t sure how long they dance for, the girl falling into a tranquil state as she loses herself to the music and the feeling of warm bodies safely surrounding hers. Sighing out in bliss, she jolts, startles as the two of them abruptly pull away from her, eyes opening in confusion to meet a new pair of molten gold ones. She hears Oikawa snigger, “yeah yeah, we get it, we’ll stop hogging her now,” from above, before a strong shove from Iwaizumi behind her has her falling straight into the waiting arms of Kuroo.

“Hello Kitten,” he purrs, head dipping to rest against the crook of her neck, so close she can feel as his lips pull up into a smile.

Blushing furiously, she stutters, “h-hello Kuroo! H-Happy birthday, are you h-having a good night?”

“Mhmm,” he rumbles, sending shivers running up her spine, a soft gasp leaving her mouth, which she knows he hears as he tugs her closer with a deep chuckle. “Missed you,” he whispers into her pebbled skin.

Softening at the vulnerable admission, she smiles into his hair, tilting her head to lean it against his own, allowing her body to fall into a gentle sway, his quickly joining her.

“I’ve missed you too. How was the game?”

“Mmmm, it was good. We won.”

“So I heard,” she chuckles, lifting a hand to run it through the softer, shorter strands at the base of his neck, the other curling into her touch like a cat, making her smile.

“Did Bokuto tell you?”

She hums an affirmative, before expanding, “and Oikawa, and Noya too... I was a little surprised I didn’t hear from you.”

“Ahhh, I figured Bo would tell you, and if he didn’t then I’d be seeing you tonight and could tell you then.”

“Any stand out moments?” She pushes, saddened that she couldn’t be there, face contorting at pain as she remembers what exactly happened to her that night. 

At the reminder, her body begins to twinge with pain, the girl having fallen out of the alcohol induced trance she was in while dancing with Oikawa and Iwaizumi. She’s gonna have to get another drink soon, or leave Kuroo’s hold, because she can’t keep this facade up for much longer.

Kuroo’s humming brings her back to the present as he pulls away to look into her face, smiling gently as he pushes some of her fringe behind her ear. “Yeah, there were a couple of stand out moments... I stopped a setter dump that Atsumu tried to get over on us... that was pretty badass of me, not gonna lie,” he boasts with a smirk, “setter dumps are really hard to defend against, especially up close during a block, as opposed to trying to receive it,” he explains.

At the mention of blocking, something tugs in the back of Yachi’s head, causing her to pull away with a gasp, grin lighting up her face as Kuroo stumbles from the sudden loss of her body pressed against him. The loss doesn’t last for long, however, as she quickly grabs his hand, intertwining their fingers as she pulls him across the dancefloor with purpose.

It doesn’t take him long to realise that they are heading back to their friend’s table, disappointment welling up within his chest as he thinks she wants to stop spending 1 on 1 time with him. Is he ever going to get the chance to confess? 

His confusion grows, however, as she continues to hold his hand, ignoring the whistles from their pals as she picks up a red bag from one of the tables. Spinning to face him, eyes alight with happiness, she throws him for a loop by asking him, “is there anywhere private we can go?”

“P-Private?!” He stutters - does she have the same idea that I do?

“Yeah! Somewhere you can open your present!” She says, grin firmly in place, clearly having missed the suggestive nature of her question.

Ahhhh, that’s what the red bag is then. Smiling down at her face which is beaming with joy, he can’t bring himself to be upset, instead sending her the soft smile he reserves for only her, before tugging her hand towards the bar. “This way, theres a stairwell that leads up to the apartments above the bar, they said I could go up there if I wanted to..” he says, trailing off, hoping she catches the suggestion in his tone. An empty apartment. Two drunk uni students. A spare room with a double bed...

Turning to give her a smirk, he quickly drops it when it’s clear she didn’t catch his meaning, the open and honest look on her face saying enough.

Smiling to himself at her innocence, he pushes open the door, before quickly locking it behind him with the keys the bar owners gave to him, allowing them some privacy in the dimly lit, but clean hallway.

Moving across to the stairs, he takes a perch a couple of stairs up and raises his eyebrows, grinning when she giggles and thrusts the bag towards him, uttering a soft, “happy birthday, Tetsurou... I know it’s not much, but I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will,” he says, heart fluttering at the use of his first name as he pulls a flat, rectangular present from within. Placing the bag onto the step beside him, he carefully glides his finger across the paper, lifting the cellotape without damaging the present, as he slowly peels the wrapping away.

A photoframe, huh? He thinks, eyebrows twisting in question as he turns it around; he’s pretty sure they haven’t taken a photo together before—

Kuroo.exe has stopped working.

It’s not a picture like he suspected... it’s a drawing.

A drawing of him.

“Did you do this?” He asks, voice barely above a whisper as he reverently strokes the glass with his thumb.

“Y-Yeah,” her shaky voice replies, equally as soft, “... do you like it?”

Does he like it?!

The drawing is clearly done from memory. There’s no other explanation for it, because there’s no way anyone managed to take a picture of him on the court this clearly.

The net stretches across the bottom of the paper as his profile dominates the top, hands outstretched in a hard block as he is slamming the ball down onto the other side of the court. Gleaming eyes, a strong physique and his customary smirk complete the drawing. It’s so realistic... he can feel his palms stinging as if he just slammed down the volleyball within the picture.

Does he like it, she asks...

It’s perfect. 

The way he looks in her drawing; strong and confident and reliable... Is this really the way she sees him?

Holy shit. This is it. This is the moment he’s been waiting for.

It’s time.

Overwhelmed with love and appreciation for the tiny, beautiful creature before him, he can’t help but stand up from his perch, gently placing the drawing on the stair beside him. Stepping forwards to tower over her petite frame in a way that causes electricity to flow across his skin with abandon, he smiles down at her. 

“I love it.”

God, he isn’t even touching her and his body is already thrumming with anticipation.

Ignoring the heat burning through his entire body, he reaches out to her. One had goes to cup her cheek, thumb stroking against the soft, heated skin there, palm pulling her face up so that he can stare deeply into her wide, honey eyes as his other hand goes to grip her small waist, giving him the perfect view of her face as it—

Screws up in pain.

Wait, no, that’s not supposed to happen!

The girl’s eyes slam closed, viciously breaking the precious connection between the two of them.

Pulling away in shock, his hand grips against her side, causing her to gasp out and lean forwards, as if protecting her stomach, small whimpers releasing from her shaking body.

“Yachi? Yachi! What’s wrong?! Talk to me, damnit!” He shouts, crouching down before her, trying to reconnect the eye contact they lost.

Teary eyes make flitting contact with his, before darting to the wall, her laboured breathing slowing down as she noticably forces her pain down into the recesses of her mind. “I’m fine,” she stutters out as she tries to straighten back up, before swearing colourfully and curling in on herself again. He hardly ever hears her swearing...

“That is not nothing!” He says, not daring to touch her, for fear of what else he might manage to do - did he do this to her?!

“It’s fine, Kuroo-san... I just need a moment - and another drink,” she mutters sardonically, not paying attention to her words as she tries to get her pain under control.

Kuroo-san.

She hasn’t called me Kuroo-san since... I think the second time we met. Something is seriously wrong here. Reaching out an arm to steady her, he pulls back quickly as she flinches away from his touch, clearly causing herself more pain. 

Okay. No touching then.

Shit!

Standing up to his full height, he flicks his eyes around the empty stairwell, praying that some kind of help will magically appear. Turning back to her, his eyes catch on the bare skin of her back where her jumper has pulled up and her jeans have rolled down, due to her hunched over position.

On any other day, seeing such an expanse of her soft, pale skin would cause him to flush furiously, eyes darting away, only to be pulled back as he prays for a glimpse of something more.

Today is not any other day, however, his eyes staying firmly attached to the skin on display, because it is not the soft, pale skin he is used to, but rather a rainbow of black, blue and purple splotches. 

A particularly large bruise seems to cover the whole of her lower back in a line, as if she has been pushed violently against something solid and horizontal... like a table or a bench.

Holy fuck... there’s no way he did this to her... someone else has to have.

Staring at the crippled form of his crush, leaning against the dirty wall of the pub, not accepting his touch, he does all he can think of: he turns around and walks back into the party with a calm facade across his face.

Giving polite nods and short answers to the questions and jeers of his peers, his eyes frantically scan the crowd until he finds who he is looking for: Tsukishima.

Tsukishima sucking face with Terushima in the corner. Damn, he didn’t see that one coming. Watching Tsukishima stand up from their table earlier to go and confess to Yuuji of all people had been a shock to everyone - well, everyone except Yachi, apparently.

Knowing now is not an appropriate time to tease the two, he politely, but deliberately clears his throat, the two breaking apart to send him equally harsh glares.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to steal Tsukishima away from you, Teru,” he says, trying his best to fake a grin.

Apparently he fakes it too well, as Tsukki turns away with a ‘tch’, before heading back in to explore Yuuji’s mouth with his tongue once more.

Quickly losing his patience, he steps forward into their personal space with a glare glacial enough to freeze them both in their place.

“It’s Yachi.”

The change in the blond is instant, the slightly tipsy waver in his stance disappearing as his eyes clear, the boy speaking in a quiet, clipped tone as he asks, “where is she?”

“Stairwell—” Kuroo doesn’t have a chance to say anything else as he’s suddenly jogging after his friend, whose intense aura splits the crowd like moses parting the red sea. “Shit! Wait— hang on!” He fumbles, managing to grip his friend’s shoulder before he plows through the door into the stairwell. “It’s not a panic attack or anything, but you can’t touch her,” he says, trying to stress how important what he’s saying is.

Confusion flits across Tsukishima’s face, before it is schooled back into its usual, calm facade. “Why not?”

“She’s hurt. I don’t know who did it or how or why, but she’s hurt and she keeps flinching away from me every time I try to touch her...”

Golden eyes not dissimilar to his own burn into him, before giving a clipped nod, opening the door to quickly slide through, leaving Kuroo to hurriedly follow behind.

Eyes adjusting to the dimly lit hallway, he watches as Tsukishima strides quickly down the corridor towards where Yachi is still hunched over against the wall - that’s not a good sign.

“O-Oh hey Tsukki... I’m fine! Really! Kuroo didn’t need to get you—”

“Yes, Yachi, I really did. I’ve been gone for 5 minutes and you haven’t moved an inch! I barely touched you... but you’re in so much pain. It’s not nothing.” 

“I’m fine—”

“Where does it hurt?” This time it’s Tsukishima who interrupts. 

Spluttering at her friend’s forwardness, Yachi stumbles over a couple of fake excuses, before hissing in pain as Tsukishima pulls her jumper up without preamble.

“You were saying?” He says, tone flat and eyes hard as they roam across the beaten expanse of her torso.

Kuroo tears his eyes away at that. Don’t look at Yachi’s boobs. DON’T LOOK AT YACHI’S BOOBS!

“I-Is there anything I can do?” He stutters with his eyes firmly trained on the wall.

His question is blatantly ignored as Tsukki crouches down and begins prodding the wounds, to the hissing cries of Yachi.

“OWW! Kei! Stop it!”

“Who did this?” It’s more of a statement than a question.

“N-No one did this—“”

“Don’t bullshit me, Hitoka!” Tsukki explodes, voice ringing out in the painfully quiet stairwell. “I’ve played volleyball for most of my life - you think I don’t know what different injuries look like?”

“Wait, someone DID THIS TO HER?!” Kuroo exclaims, only to once again be ignored. 

“I-I’m fine, Tsukki. I’m handling it—”

“Bullshit! Who else knows about this?”

“N-No one!”

“I know when you lie, Hitoka! Who knows?!” Kuroo stares in shock as Tsukishima’s voice raises louder than he’s ever heard it before. Not once has he ever witnessed the boy shouting... he must truly care for Yachi if he’s this worried about her... he must know her really well.

Sure enough, the silence is unbroken for only a couple of seconds, before Yachi lets out a whimpered, “Yamaguchi.”

“Right.” Dropping her jumper, he pulls away, going to stand a couple of feet down the hall, not deigning to look at the tiny girl who is now quivering, tears dripping silently onto the floor.

“I’m sorry Kuroo-san... please go and enjoy the rest of your party,” she whispers, Kuroo barely able to hear her.

Shocked and a little hurt that she thinks he would leave her right now, he steps up into her personal space again, thumb stroking across her cheek gently, before curling his index finger under her chin to tug it upwards, ignoring the harshly whispered words coming from Tsukishima on the phone behind him.

“It’s Kuroo, Yachi... I’ll never be Kuroo-san to you, okay?” He asks, waiting for her nod before he continues, “and you haven’t ruined anything. You’re hurt and we care about you so we want to make it better, I couldn’t live with myself if I knew you were in pain and I just left you here to go and enjoy a dumb party that’s nowhere near as important to me as you are.”

“Kuroo...”

“So don’t apologise, okay?” He says, giving her his softest smile, reserved for Kenma when they are having a bad anxiety day, “we’re gonna figure this out and get you some help.”

More tears begin to track down her cheeks at that, Kuroo watching as her bottom lip quivers, before she leans into his hand with a nod, body losing some of it’s tension as she closes her eyes and gives in, accepting the help.

Gently easing forwards, he wraps his arms around her shoulders where she didn’t seem to be bruised earlier - in the sneak peak he got of her body, before whipping his eyes away like the gentleman he is - and pulls her close, taking her body’s weight as she sags against him, a wet patch blossoming on his shirt. 

He isn’t sure how long they stand like that for, before Tsukishima appears in his line of sight; anger, pain and wariness all warring with one another on his face.

“Yachi... come on, let’s go.” He says gently, holding out a palm when she turns to look at him.

“W-Where are we going?”

He pauses, eyes flitting up to meet Kuroo’s, before darting back down as he hesitantly says, “Akiteru is coming to pick us up, he’s going to take you home...” 

The body within his arms tenses, before nodding slowly and pulling away, sending a teary smile his way.

“Happy birthday, Kuroo... enjoy the rest of your party.”

He can only nod as he watches her take the tall blonds hand, the two walking slowly down the hallway, before leaving, the door swinging slowly shut behind them, leaving him in near darkness once again, heart clenching painfully as he can’t help but feel like he’s just lost something extremely important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really not sorry...   
┐(︶▽︶)┌


	27. I Don’t Know What The Hell I’m Doing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned on this being shorter and fluffier than it is... oops? 
> 
> It’s all important though!!
> 
> I love you guys so so much, you’re all absolutely amazing and I couldn’t ask for better readers!
> 
> Im sorry if anyone doesn’t like this chapter, it’s not as fluffy as I expect most of you want it to be, but ya gal is growing - and growth takes some sacrifice and some heartache <3
> 
> Please kudos, comment or dm, I always LOVE hearing from you guys, but if that’s not your thing, its cool :D I love every single one of you, regardless! 
> 
> Peace out volleybabes, spread love and joy in these trying times! Xoxo

Tsukishima watches Yachi intently as he says, “Akiteru is coming to pick us up, he’s going to take you home...” The visible twitches and tensing of her body confirms his and Yamaguchi’s fears: she doesn’t want to go home... because her flatmate did this to her.

Clamping down on his rage takes almost all of his self control, the blond holding his best friend’s delicate hand in his own as he slowly tugs her down the hall, towards the carpark where his brother will be picking them up shortly.

Silently traversing the busy pub, he glares down anyone that so much as glances their way. If there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s making it known that he doesn’t want to be approached.

Pulling her out into the car park, he’s unable to stop himself from gently tugging her into a hug of his own, shivers wracking his body as he breathes in her sweet, raspberry scent. Snapshots of her injuries flash across his closed eyelids. Her flatmate did this to her and no one noticed - he didn’t notice. He’s been with her all day and he never noticed anything was wrong...

“I’m so sorry, ‘Toka...”

Flinching in his arms, having gotten used to the silence, she pushes her head up so that her chin rests against his torso, face scrunched up in confusion. “What are you sorry for?”

“For not noticing...” he says, eyes now drawn to the two uneven lines on her cheekbone that he had dismissed earlier. Bringing a hand up, he softly brushes her hair out of her face, before thumbing the marks, her wince telling him all he needs to know.

Eyes flitting away from his golden ones in shame, she whispers, “I didn’t want to worry anyone... I’m handling it. I tried... I stood up for myself against them for the first time the other day... but that was after they beat me up. They haven’t touched me since...”

“Didn’t want to—” he cuts himself off, voice raising in anger, before taking a deep breath to calm himself. He’s not mad at her and he doesn’t want to make her think he is, or she will close herself off even more. “It’s okay. I understand... we’re going to get you away from those two.”

Her gaze darts back to his own, eyes wide in shock. “What? How? Where? I can’t go back to Miyagi—”

“Calm, Yachi. Calm... I told Akiteru what Yamaguchi told me on the phone and what I suspected had happened - he and Saeko have agreed that from now on you’ll be staying in their spare room. We’re going to head over to your place to get your clothes and anything you need, then we will take it across to Aki’s place and get you settled.”

“Oh... no, Kei. No. I can’t do that to them... it’s not fair—”

“No! What’s not fair is two bitches thinking that they can mess with my family and get away with it!” A high-pitched voice bursts out from behind her, Yachi spinning in surprise, before doubling over with a gasp as she jars her injuries. 

Tsukishima honestly has no idea how she was able to hide them so well when she’s in such obvious pain. Grimacing to himself at his own obliviousness, he catches his brother’s eyes - where usually kind and soft eyes lay, his brother’s matching golden irises are now hard and tense, thick lines bridging across his forehead as he steps forwards to ruffle Yachi’s hair, the couple otherwise keeping their distance.

“Saeko! Aki-Nii! I’m honestly okay, I don’t want to be a burden—”

“The only burdens I know of are those two wenches! Burdens on society, they are! Dragging down the good name of women - honestly! We should be sticking together!”

A small giggle is pulled from within Yachi, the group releasing a collective held breath as they hear it. “O-Okay... if you’re sure...”

It’s Akiteru who speaks up this time, smiling down at the small girl - no, woman - that he considers a little sister. “We’re sure. We would be happy to have you live with us, Yachi.”

“O-Oh! It wouldn’t be forever, I pr-promise! Just until I can talk to my mother and find somewhere else to live!”

The two adults share a meaningful glance, before smiling down at the girl. “If you insist, but don’t rush to find somewhere on our account, we are more than fine with you crashing with us as long as necessary—”

“Hey! If I could handle living with my brother for the 20 years he’s been alive and a pain in my ass, then I’m more than capable of sharing my space with a sweet angel like you, Yachi.”

Eyes brimming with tears once more as she laughs at Saeko’s description of Tanaka, she nods in agreement, before uttering one more soft, “okay.”

“Okay! Let’s get this show on the road!” The enthusiastic blonde shouts, marching towards their car, pulling the door open for Yachi as her arm goes out to wrap around the blonde before hesitating, her eyes narrowing in concentration, “but before we do... where can I touch you?”

“W-What?”

“I mean, where’s safe to touch? Where are you hurt?”

“O-Oh. I guess, I’ll just...” Yachi whispers, face blushing crimson as she pulls her jumper up for the two to see. Tsukishima has already seen it and Akiteru has seen her in worse positions than this - we are never talking about the time he walked in on her having a shower.

Hisses of sympathy and anger can be heard as she tucks the bottom of her jumper under her chin, before her hands go to the buttons of her jeans. If she’s doing this, she may as well be completely honest with them. Hidden behind the safety of the car, small body blocked by the two tall brothers, she pulls down her jeans with a wince, the bruises on her lower back, stomach and upper thighs becoming visible. 

“... I’m going to KILL THEM!” Saeko hisses with rage as Yachi quickly puts her clothing right, face burning with a blush as she tries not to think about the fact that she just bared herself in a pub carpark. 

“Get in line,” Tsukishima’s says, deadpan voice betrayed by a small, angry waver. 

An arm comes to softly curl around her shoulders as she is pushed gently towards the open car door. “Come on, lets go. The quicker we get your things, the quicker you can be done with that place and those girls,” Akiteru says kindly from behind her, spurring them all into action. Piling into the car, Akiteru falls into the drivers seat with a huff, before pulling out of the carpark, heading in the direction of her apartment. 

“G-Guys... if Suzumeda is there—”

“Then she’ll get what’s coming to her.” Saeko’s hard voice comes from the front. At Yachi’s panicked squeak, she turns around in her seat, face softening when she sees the stressed look on the younger woman’s face, “... don’t worry, I won’t lay a hand on them. Just give them a stern talking to about why bullying is wrong and how I doubt the University will be very understanding when I tell them what’s going on—”

“No! You can’t tell the University! You can’t tell anyone!” She shouts into the near silent car, voice ringing out.

“Why the hell not?!”

“B-Because it’s my choice! P-Please Saeko... i-if you tell the University and they get punished... they will know it was me... a-and I think they would have nothing to lose then...”

“What do you mean ‘nothing to lose’ Yachi?” Akiteru’s quiet voice calls out, stopping Saeko from speaking with a meaningful glance.

“W-Well... I think they w-would feel justified in getting revenge... I’ve not done anything to them, and that’s pr-pretty much all that’s stopped them from escalating the situation... if I told the University, they would s-see hurting me as revenge...”

“Are you serious?!” Apparently Akiteru could only keep his girlfriend quiet for so long.

“Y-Yes... I’m not the only person they bully... I’ve heard them talking about other girls... ones that have ‘wronged’ them. I-It would only get worse. I know it would... so please don’t say that to them.”

“... Fine. But ONLY because you asked me to!” She says, eyes narrowing as she stares at the young girl, “and if you change your mind, all you have to do is say the word, okay? You’re family now, Toka-chan - and I protect my family, consequences be damned.”

Yachi’s eyesight blurs as she nods ferociously, tears splashing onto her jumper as she stares at the three blonds - her new family. 

“Okay! Right then, what do you need urgently? We can get you a couple of bags worth of stuff for the next week, then move the rest of your things out later on when you know the hags won’t be in,” Saeko says, eyes softening at the sight of the girl’s tears.

“Erm... some clothes - and clothes to paint in... my art things, sketchbooks and course books... my laptop,” she lists, thinking about what classes she has this week, “some toiletries and hair stuff... the rest can probably wait till later on,” she says, voice lowering as she admits, “I’d rather Suzumeda doesn’t realise I’m moving out until all of my stuff has been moved... if she figures it out, she might try to take my things - or ruin them.”

“... you’ve been living with someone who would do that for the past 3 months?” Akiteru asks.

“... yeah,” she whispers back, ashamed for not standing up for herself sooner.

“Damn,” he says, a wiry smile sitting on his lips as he shakes his head, “I always manage to forget how brave and independent you are, Hitoka.”

“W-What?”

“There’s not a lot of people who could have handled a situation like that, you’ve done incredibly well,” he says, eyes meeting hers in the rearview mirror, “I’m proud of you.”

Tears burn her eyes again as she hangs her head in shame. I’m not brave... “I’m just a doormat.”

“You are not! You’ve dealt with bullying for the past 3 months completely on your own. You’ve stood up for yourself and now you’re getting help. I’m proud of you - you should be proud of yourself too.”

“Aki-nii...”

“Stop hating on my girl, Hitoka! She’s great and I won’t listen to you talking shit about her any longer!” He says, sending her a wink, causing her to let out a teary chuckle, leaning to the side to rest against Tsukki.

“Okay... then, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“... Can I stay in the car?”

His eyes soften as he looks at her, lips tightening in pain as he agrees, “of course you can. Saeko, Kei and I will grab your things for you if you tell us where they are.”

“Thank you...”

She’s going to be okay, she thinks. She has people she can rely on... and she has somewhere else to live for a while. Huh.

That’s 3/5 things now... Yamaguchi will be proud of her.

Tugging on her friend’s sleeve, he leans down to listen to her as she whispers, “can you get something else for me when you’re up there?” 

The boy tenses up, face scrunching in confusion as he nods his assent.

“There’s a list pinned up on my wall...”

•••

It takes about an hour, before Yachi can finally fall - gently, so she doesn’t hurt her injuries further - onto her new bed. Tsukishima perches lightly beside her, running a hand through her hair. He’s wearing the same pinched expression he’s had since he entered car after getting her belongings from the flat.

“What is it, Kei?” She asks softly.

“The list... Yamaguchi wrote it?” She hums a confirmation. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I... I guess I just wanted to deal with it alone. It was such a small thing in the beginning you know? A snide comment here, some missing food there... enough to complain about, sure! But not enough to say, ‘hey guys, I think my flatmate is bullying me and I want to move!’ Certainly not enough to convince my MOTHER to let me move,” she adds bitterly, wondering how she’s going to explain this to the woman - she’ll have to tell her about it sooner or later.

“I get that, but when you told Yamaguchi... why didn’t you tell all of us?”

“I... I don’t know. He was there in person I guess, he saw them being rude to me and I couldn’t just brush it off, he knows me better than that - you all do! If I mentioned it, you’d all have known something was wrong. I suppose I just wanted to pretend everything was fine for a little while longer...” she admits, body curling into a foetal position on the bed, eyes avoiding her friend.

A sigh permeates the air, before the bed dips, heat curling around her back as Tsukishima lies down behind her - not touching her, he’s too aware of her injuries to do so - but surrounding her with his warmth regardless.

“Tell them.”

“W-What?!” She squeaks, neck tilting to stare at her friend with wide eyes.

“Hinata and Kageyama - tell them. They should know... they’ll be able to comfort you better than I can - well,” he smirks, “maybe not Kageyama, he’s pretty useless...”

Her own lips tilt up as she remembers Kageyama’s awkward attempts to comfort her in the past. Kei’s right. He’s REALLY not very good at it.

“I don’t want to distract them from their studies...” she says, the flimsy excuse leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

“Tough shit. Their studies are already terrible - they’re both lucky they got into Uni on sports scholarships, or they would be doomed - so you won’t be making anything worse. They deserve to know, Toka... they can help. Kuroo too.”

Body stiffening at the mention of the birthday boy, she slowly shuffles her body round so that she can face her friend, the boy smiling gently and tracing the scratches on her cheek with his fingers - as he has taken to doing since he realised what they were. 

“I really don’t think—”

“Stop running away, Hitoka.” He says, voice hard, but face soft. “We want to help. I know you want to handle this on your own, but you already have. You’ve done more than enough... let us help you. Plus, if you really think Kuroo will let what happened tonight slide, you don’t know him very well. I wouldn’t be surprised if those volleyball idiots were marching towards your flat right now,” he says with a smirk, watching the panic bloom on his friend’s face. She’s too easy to wind up, sometimes... but it needs to be done. If this is what it takes to get her to contact Kuroo, so be it.

“No... no! You don’t think he’s told the guys, do you?!”

“Why wouldn’t he have... if he hasn’t yet, it’s not going to be long before he does, especially considering he’s drunk... the longer you wait to contact him, the less chance you have of the others not knowing.”

Hook, line and sinker.

Eyes widening, breath now coming in quick, short bursts, she hops off the bed with a wince, rushing across the room to dig in her bag like a woman possessed, searching for her phone.

Please please PLEASE don’t have told anyone!

Pulling out her phone victoriously, she swipes as the screen, stomach plummeting as she sees 3 missed calls and 16 messages from the boy in question, cheeks flushing momentarily as she sees what he’s changed his contact name to, the other doing so regularly just to fluster her.

Message Chat: VolleyBae

VolleyBae: *Missed call*

VolleyBae: Yachi, pick up.

VolleyBae: Please.

VolleyBae: *Missed call*

VolleyBae: Fuck

VolleyBae: Yachi, please answer your phone!

VolleyBae: Are u okay

VolleyBae: Please fucking be okay

VolleyBae: *Missed call*

VolleyBae: I don’t care about this damn party!

VolleyBae: I care about you!

VolleyBae: Shit 

VolleyBae: If you dont wanna talk to me, fine, but get Tsukki to pick up his damn phone!

VolleyBae: You dont need to tell me anything

VolleyBae: Just let me know youre okay

VolleyBae: Please, Yachi

VolleyBae: Im leaving now. Call me please. I need to know youre okay.

VolleyBae: Fuck, get Tsukki to message me if you dont wanna talk to me - i get it i fucked up

VolleyBae: Im sorry

...

She’s dialing the number before she realises, feet pacing across the floor as she listens to the dial tone, making brief eye contact with Tsukki as he stands from the bed, nodding towards the door to indicate he’ll give them some privacy.

Nodding back distractedly, she almost doesn’t realise that the dial tone has stopped, silence filtering through the phone as the door quietly clicks shut, leaving her alone in the room.

“...Kuroo?”

A sharp breath filters through the phone speakers, causing her bite her lip with worry.

“Yachi...”

Padding towards the bed, she slowly climbs up to sit against the headboard, letting out a hiss of pain as her lower back meets wood.

“Shit— what was that— are you okay?!”

Huffing out a self-depricating chuckle, she replies, “I’m fine... just sore.”

“Oh... it— they— fuck!” She smiles, picturing him running his hands through his already messy hair with frustration, “yeah, they looked pretty sore, from what I saw— not that I saw much! I tried not to look, but— SHIT!”

She can’t help but giggle, his tipsy stutter as endearing as everything else about him. “It’s alright Kuroo, I don’t mind you seeing it... I was planning on tell you— I swear! But then it was your birthday and I didn’t want to bug anyone when I was handling it and...” she trails off.

“Yachi,” his voice calls through the phone, a seriousness present within it that she rarely hears from him, “you never bug me - ever. And this? Fucking hell! How could you ever think that you being hurt is somehow less important than my birthday? It’s a damn party! Akaashi’s having one in two weeks for his! They aren’t important - you being hurt is!”

“O-Oh...”

“Yeah. Oh.” He repeats, awkward silence hanging between them.

“I’m sorry, Kuroo...” she whispers.

He sighs deeply into the phone speaker. “It’s alright, Yachi... I’m just— I was fucking terrified okay? You were right there and we— and then suddenly you were hurt and I didn’t know what to do and all you were saying was that you were FINE - WHEN YOU CLEARLY YOU WERE NOT FINE - and I didn’t know what to do! Like, was it MY fault? Did I hurt you?! I didn’t know and you wouldn’t talk to me! I just—” he sighs again, apparently having run out of steam, “I was just really fucking worried. And then you wouldn’t answer your phone and everyone kept asking where you were and I didn’t KNOW either...”

“I’m sorry...”

“Fucking— don’t apologise! I’m not saying this to make you feel bad! I just... I’m trying to explain what’s going on in my head, thats all...”

“I... I didn’t think about it like that I guess... I just figured you’d go back to the party—”

A harsh, sarcastic bark of laughter cuts her off. “Do you honestly think I could go back to a party after seeing you like that? Do you really think so little of me? That I would be able to party and have fun and pretend like nothing happened when you were out there somewhere hurt and I didn’t know where or why?!”

“I—”

“‘Cause if that’s what you really think of me, I’m hurt! I would never—”

“Kuroo—”

“Be able to sit and party when my gir— my FRIEND was hurt—”

“Kuroo, please—”

“But if that’s what you wanna think, then go right ahead, I mean I’m only the asshole that never lets anyone in, right? Who keeps everyone at arms length—“”

“TETSUROU!” She screams, eyes widening in shock - there’s no way Saeko, Akiteru and Tsukki didn’t hear that. “Tetsurou,” she tries again, “please listen to me!”

“I... yeah, okay.”

“I don’t think that at all! I KNOW you’re not that facade you put up for others to see, I’ve known that pretty much since I met you, despite how I pretended otherwise... and I know you would never put a party above your friends, it’s just— I’m not doubting you - I’m doubting me!” She says, trying to emphasise how much he isn’t at fault for this.

“... What do you mean?” He asks, Yachi’s heart breaking as she listens to his wavering voice, sounding so childlike and uncertain.

“It’s me, Kuroo... It’s my issues with myself. God, you’re so amazing and confident and wonderful! And I’m just this sad, lost, little girl who’s pretending everything is okay when her life is actually falling apart! I guess I was just worried that if you saw that side of me - if you saw how pathetic I was - that you’d want nothing to do with me anymore...” she admits, leaning forwards to hug her drawn up legs. There it is, she’s said it. There’s no going back now.

“Pathetic...? Are you— you’ve got to be joking?!” At her silence, he continues, “Yachi... from the moment I met you, all I’ve ever seen is someone who is shy and anxious CONSTANTLY going outside of her comfort zone to trying and better herself. You were shaking like a leaf when we first met, for fucks sake! But you still opened your mouth and asked to sit with me - you know, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment? You were so brave and beautiful... like a little frightened rabbit reaching out and asking for help. How could I have ever said no?” He says with a chuckle, remembering the day fondly, as he has many times since they met. 

“Since then, you’ve constantly shocked and amazed me. You’ve managed to make friends with all of our group - who, did you know, are RENOWNED on campus for being loud and rowdy? We’re practically famous at uni - and you didn’t even bat an eyelid. You accepted all of our loud, brash, quirky personalities and fit in with no complaints. You attended our match, despite knowing nothing about volleyball and CLEARLY having social anxiety. You won over Asahi - who is scared of everyone - and Saeko, who is an absolute nightmare... you’re amazing! 

“I just don’t get how you can say any of those things about yourself... you’re so brave!” He says with so much conviction he beings tears to Yachi’s eyes.

That’s the second time tonight someone has called her brave...

“Thank you,” she whispers.

“... You’re welcome. I... I wish you could see yourself how I see you, Yachi,” he admits with a sigh.

Yeah, she wishes she could too.

“I... you know about my relationship with my mother, Kuroo... and what happened in middle school... it’s just not that simple - I wish it was.”

“I know... I know. I just, wish I could help.”

“But you do!” Bursts out of her, before she can stop it.

“What?”

“You help! All the time! You’ve sat and listened to me every time I’ve told you about my problems... you never judged or pushed or pried, you were just... THERE! To lean on, rely on, be comforted by... you’ve helped me more in these past couple of months than you could ever know!”

“Yachi...”

“But now,” she says, continuing over him, knowing what has to be done, “you need to let me sort this out myself— you said I was brave, right?” She asks loudly, talking over his immediate complaints.

“Yes... of course you are!”

“Then let me be brave. I... this is something I need to figure out for myself. I’m handling it and,” she sighs, trying to find the words to convey what she’s feeling, “for once, I actually feel as brave as you seem to think I am, so... let me do this. AND DONT TELL THE OTHERS!” She quickly adds, knowing he isn’t going to like that.

“What?! Hell no— Yachi! Someone hurt you - badly! They deserve to know! We can protect you—“”

“But that’s the thing, Kuroo! I want to— no, I NEED TO do this myself! I promise, I will explain everything to you guys at some point, just... give me some time, okay? If the guys knew I was hurt and they hadn’t noticed - that they had been pulling me and lifting me about when I was in that state? They would be devastated! I don’t want them to feel guilty over this - it wasn’t any of you guys’ faults!”

“That doesn’t change the fact that we hurt you! They need to know, Yachi...”

“And they will,” she sighs out, “... just not yet. Give me a chance to sort... all of this out.”

“All of what?”

“I... I’ll tell you later, okay? I promise... I just need a bit of time. I need to do this myself.” She says firmly with finality. She wont budge on this.

Sensing that, Kuroo sighs. “Fine, I’ll drop it, but if you think FOR EVEN A MOMENT that I will forget about it, you’re wrong! And if you think I’m gonna let you wander around all week in pain without doing anything about it, you’re doubly wrong!”

“Kuroo—”

“Meet me at the library tomorrow. What time do your lectures finish?”

“2’o’clock, why—”

“If you aren’t in the library by quarter past, I’ll be coming to get you.”

“Kuroo, you don’t have to do this, I’m fine—”

“If you say you’re fine ONE MORE TIME HITOKA I SWEAR! I’m trying to be understanding, okay? I’m trying to give you space to work through... whatever it is that’s going on— but if you think I’m going to leave you alone while you’re injured and no one else knows, you have another thing coming.”

“Kuroo...”

“Just— promise to meet me there... please.”

“... Okay.”

“Thank you... I’ll keep the guys away from you for the next week - I’m not sure how yet, but I’ll think of something, okay?”

“Okay,” she repeats again, quietly, “thank you...”

Silence follows for a couple of seconds, before a soft reply comes through. “You’re welcome, Yachi... just, promise me you WILL tell me what’s going on?”

“... I promise.”

“... Well, alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she whispers again.

“Bye Yachi, I—” a pregnant pauses stretches out, before his sighs, “just stay safe until then. See ya.”

“Bye...”

The calls hangs on for a couple more seconds before cutting out, Kuroo having hung up on the other end. 

Dropping her phone to the bed beside her, she doesn’t look up when she hears the door click gently. “Did you hear?”

“Yep.” Tsukishima says, popping the P, “only your side of the conversation though.”

“I just...” she pauses, tears gathering in her eyes. She’s not sure how she expected that call to go, but it wasn’t like that. “I don’t know. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, Tsukki.”

Sitting down beside her, she feels herself being slowly pulled into his side. Giving in and meeting him halfway, she sighs into his chest.

“You told him you wanted to handle this yourself.”

“Mhmm.”

“So, how are you going to do that?”

Letting out a breath, she closes her eyes and snuggles in to her friend’s warmth, basking in the small amount of comfort it provides.

“I have no idea,” she whispers.

“Well... if you don’t want to rely on them, that’s fine, but you need to rely on someone,” he says, holding out her abandoned phone, giving her arm a small prod with the device.

She stares down the phone with a glare, as if it’s personally offended her.

“It’s okay to ask for help, Yachi... everyone needs help sometimes.”

“I know. It’s just... it’s so hard, y’know?”

“I do know, because a beautiful, tiny blonde stumbled into my life 3 years ago and made me ask for help when I didn’t want to.”

“Kei...”

“It’s alright to be scared, Yachi. You’re letting yourself be vulnerable - giving people the power to hurt you,” he pauses, turning to meet her eyes directly, “but do you honestly think we would use anything you said against you? Me, Yamaguchi, Hinata or Kageyama?”

“No! You would never! I know that!”

“Then let us in! Let us help you, like you’ve helped all of us... please.”

The pleading is what does it, begging her to let him in, the same way Kuroo had...

“Okay,” she whispers, looking up into her friend’s eyes. “You’ll not leave, though, right?”

Smiling down at her, he leans in to gently kiss her forehead. “No, Yachi, I wont leave if you don’t want me to. I’ll be right here. We’ll do this together.”

Nodding her head in determination, swiping away a couple of stray tears, she agrees.

“Together.”


	28. Bokuto’s Magical, Mood-Changing Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg guys...
> 
> Over 100,000 words?! Who is this slow burn bitch?
> 
> Sorry for not uploading on Wednesday! Heres the new upload schedule for the next week!
> 
> Today: Ch. 28  
Monday: Ch. 29  
Thursday: Ch. 30  
Saturday: Ch. 31
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Feel free to kudos, comment or dm (insta is Elizandre22) I would love to hear from you! But if that isnt your thing, its okay, just happy youre all here! 
> 
> I love you guys, I hope you all have a lovely weekend my volleybabes xoxo

Telling Hinata and Kageyama was as rough on her poor nerves as her phone call with Kuroo had been, the two threatening bodily harm if they ever meet Suzumeda and Yukie. As the call goes on, however, her spirit gets lighter and lighter. 

She never realised just how much stress she was dealing with by keeping things a secret from her highschool friends. Looking back on it now, she can see it; the stilted conversations, how she always froze up when mention of flatmates or uni friends would come up, how she called them less because she never wanted to be in the flat when she did, lest Suzumeda try something and they found out what was going on.

Yamaguchi and Tsukki were right - she had to tell them... which means she has to tell Kuroo too.

She’d been worried about meeting with him in the library that Monday, however, when she got there, he stood by his promise not to pry and didn’t ask her any questions about it. Instead, he produced cold patches, an assortment of creams and some bandages from his sports bag - “I stole them from Iwaizumi,” he smirked - and proceeded to wrap up her injuries like a professional, informing her that her rib was not in fact fractured like she had worried, thank goodness.

Once she was bandaged to his satisfaction, he gave her a small kiss on the top of the head, causing them both to blush, before they settled into their work, neither bringing up the party or her injuries after that.

Sticking to his word, Yachi didn’t see hide nor hair of the rest of her friends till the monday after, giving her over a week for her injuries to calm down to a barely noticable ache, a lot of the small bruises having cleared completely. When meeting them, she kept a close eye on them, trying to discern if anyone was onto her, but everyone acted normally. She wasn’t sure what Kuroo had told them, but it must have been believable...

And so, that’s how she stumbles through the next two weeks; she messages her highschool friends way more frequently, as well as having calls with them as they all ring her regularly to check up on her; she has dinner and tea with Akiteru and Saeko most days, both of which are constantly feeding her, trying to making sure she gets all the vitamins and minerals she needs to heal back up; she and Kuroo meet up less than she originally thought they would, the other seeming to draw away from her slightly, causing her more pain than she anticipated, but she understands - she’s beginning to realise that keeping secrets is a surefire way to prevent her from getting closer to others (and is honestly something she probably picked up as a coping mechanism in her childhood) - however, she still sees him enough to stop her from worrying that he’s ditching her completely - she understands that he will need space too; and she spends the rest of her spare time with her friends - like she is doing now.

The large shoulders of Iwaizumi walking in front of her, are silhouetted by blinding light, causing him to look even bigger as he steps out into the stadium before them, loud chatter coming from all sides as squeaking shoes can be heard from the court below.

Here she is again.

Looking around, she’s not surprised to see that the arena is already half full, despite them arriving early to grab their reserved seats, knowing that as the crowds filter in someone will surely steal them.

Because this isn’t just any game of volleyball, it’s one of the most highly anticipated University matches of the year:

The Tokyo Tigers vs. The Osaka Krackens.

Quickly sliding into her seat, she shuffles a little to get comfortable, sending happy smiles to Iwaizumi and Akaashi who are seated either side of her. Saeko and Akiteru aren’t here tonight, both having to work, and Kenma said that they would be arriving later once most people were seated, in an attempt to avoid the crowds.

She’s so excited! The energy in the stadium is palpable, pressing up against her from behind. Leaning forwards, she stares down at the court, legs jiggling with nervous anticipation - she can’t wait to FINALLY see Hinata and Kageyama in action!

They went through years of highschool together, and not once did she see a single one of their matches, but now, after 3 years of waiting, she’s finally going to see the ‘demon duo’ in person! And while yes, she had been excited to see Tsukishima and Yamaguchi play too, there had been a time when all any of the students at Karasuno would talk about was this ‘freak quick’. She didn’t get it back then... but now, having seen Kuroo’s matches, watching Oikawa gracefully set the ball to Bokuto, who will slam it across the court so beautifully... she can’t wait to see what her friends can do!

The polite clearing of a throat, has Yachi looking to her left at Akaashi, the other smiling gently down at her.

“Yachi, I wanted to ask you something before the match started and I got distracted...” at her nod of encouragement he continues. “I’m having a party tomorrow for my birthday. My parents have organised it, so it’s going to be a pretty big thing, held in a rented ballroom about a 10 minute drive outside of campus,” he says, mouth twisting in a frown at the extravagance, “and I would love it if you could come,” he says, sending her that small smile once again.

“Of course!” She shouts with a wince, quickly lowering her voice back down to an acceptable volume. “Of course I would, Akaashi! Text me the address later?”

“Of course,” he repeats with a wiry smile, “Hinata and Kageyama are both invited too. It would be nice to catch up with the two of them... I’m afraid I haven’t seen as much of them as Bokuto has since leaving highschool.”

“I’m sure they would love to see you too!” She beams, remembering that the two have mentioned Akaashi to her before. Something he said catches her attention, though. “Is there a particular dress code?” She asks, thinking that turning up to a ballroom in jeans might be a little underdressed.

“Ahhh... I’d say dress formally - like you did at the concert,” he says with a slight blush, rubbing the back of his neck, “my family are a bit... extravagant sometimes.”

“No, no! It’s good!” She reassures, smiling when he looks back up at her with hopeful eyes. “It shows they care! Plus, I’ll take any excuse to wear one of my pretty dresses,” she says with a wink.

“Oh... good! I’m glad.”

Squeaking on the court pulls their attention away. The staff that had been cleaning the floors are all making their way off the court, the doors closing behind them.

Not long to wait now.

The rising sound from the crowd causes her to look around, before turning to Iwaizumi in question. “Are games against Osaka always this busy?”

“Osaka and Tokyo Universities have had an upstanding rivalry that’s been going on for as long as anyone can remember. Any matches between the two - not just volleyball - are known to be incredibly tense and vicious. To lose a match against Osaka... well, let’s pray you don’t see that today,” Iwaizumi says with a pensive frown, staring intently down at the doors leading onto the court.

“W-Well,” Yachi stutters, worried by the negativity exuding from her friend, “they haven’t lost a match yet! They’re on a winning streak! They just have to keep doing what they are doing...” she trails off at the sympathetic look she receives from Akaashi.

“I hate to break it to you, Yachi, but Osaka is on a completely different level to any of the teams we’ve played so far this year...”

“But Ushijima—”

“Is on a team with people who don’t compliment his style,” Iwaizumi interrupts. “Tokyo Uni... they deliberately seek out and give scholarships to players that will challenge the ones at Osaka - and Osaka does the same.”

“So... you’re saying they’re up against people specifically chosen TO BEAT THEM?!” Yachi asks, voice rising in panic.

“Pretty much,” Akaashi’s deadpan voice cuts in from her left.

“Surely it can’t be that bad...” Yachi mutters to herself, eyes now also staring at the doors to the court below.

“Iwaizumi sighs, before turning his body towards her, giving her his full attention. “Sakusa, Hinata, Kageyama, Kyoutani, Lev, Aone and Komori.”

“W-What?”

“Those are the names of the players in their starting line-up - each one of them is tailored to go up against a specific member of our team. 

“First off is Komori Matsuya, who was the number one high school libero vs. Nishinoya, who is also an extremely talented libero - do you know he would have been accepted on a sports scholarship into pretty much any University he applied to? Komori has 20cms on Nishinoya, standing at 180cm... he’s very tall for a libero, making it easier for him to reach all sides of the court. He’s also a cousin of Sakusa’s - Osaka’s ace - and has been playing volleyball with him for pretty much their whole lives... their teamwork is almost unrivalled in the University v-ball leagues.

“Next is Sakusa Kiyoomi - one of the top 3 highschool aces in all of Japan - vs. Terushima. Sakusa is... calm, I guess you could say. He’s known for barely showing any reaction and staying focused on the court - which is why Tokyo chose a wild card like Yuuji to counteract him. You’ve seen Teru play before, right?” He asks, smiling slightly at her enthralled nod as she hangs onto every word he says. “Well then you’ve probably noticed that he’s something else entirely. No rhythm, no logic, no set strategy to his plays... he does whatever he wants on the court, and as a result, is very hard to counteract. He’s offence and defence all in one, suddenly appearing where you don’t expect him to - which is exactly what we need to rile up and challenge Sakusa,” he say, an evil grin crossing his face.

“Then we have Tendou and Aone - the battle of the middle blockers. Both of them earnt themselves nicknames in the highschool leagues, you know? Everyone knew who they were because of their skill as middle blockers; but the two are as different as you can get. The guess monster vs. The iron wall... how dramatic does that sound, right?” He says with a chuckle. “Tendou’s blocking, if you watch closely this game, is almost all guess work. He watches and analyses his opponents, gets a good feel for them and how they play, and then uses the information he’s gathered to guess who to block - and Yachi... it’s seriously uncanny how often he’s right. What he does? It isn’t normal volleyball. In contrast then, you’ve got Aone’s iron wall. He works more like Tsukishima does; his eyes never leave the ball, and he only moves once he’s determined where it’s going. Most people wouldn’t be able to play like that - the ball would always be one step ahead of them - but Aone has the height and the reflexes to pull it off... they are both terrifying opponent, in their own ways.

“Though not as terrifying as The mad dog vs. The mad crow,” he smirks. “Tanaka and Kyoutani have had a... rivalry, I guess you could say, since our teams played against eachother in high school. Tanaka is wild - but not like Yuuji’s crazy, random plays - more like his spirit is wild. His skills are good - awesome really - but what makes him such a beast on the court is that he never gives up. When everyone else is flagging or it looks like the match is already lost, he’s the one who never stops shouting - never stops running forwards to hit that next spike... it’s intimidating as hell. You think you’ve managed to break the other team’s spirit, but then along he comes, playing even better than before, shouting about how they still have plenty of fight left in them... he’s the team’s moral - if he doesn’t go down, they don’t go down. Mad dog, however, is the opposite: bad at teamwork, insanely powerful, not very reliable - kind of like Yuuji really, but with a much grumpier personality. He and Tanaka have always clashed horribly, it’s quite funny to watch really,” he laughs.

“I agree,” Akaashi chimes in, causing Yachi to jump, having almost forgotten that the other man was listening in. “I haven’t played against Kyoutani-san before, but Tanaka is a menace to go up against. Practice matches with Karasuno were always the most difficult, because they never stopped fighting to win - especially not Ryuu.”

Iwaizumi nods in agreement, “exactly. The next match up... I honestly don’t know how it will go. Kuroo and Lev... the old captain vs. The young captain. Both Nekoma allumni... Kuroo taught Lev almost everything he knows, but the two haven’t played against eachother in a long time - therefore neither of them knows what the other is currently capable of... though, if he was accepted into the Osaka team, we can assume he’s very good - and he’s tall—”

“But, so is Kuroo!” Yachi butts in.

“Yachi...” Akaashi says with a gentle look, “I’ve played against both he and Kuroo before... there’s no competition. Lev is almost 2 meters tall.”

“W-What?! How is Kuroo meant to block someone that tall?!”

“With great difficulty,” Iwaizumi says sympathetically, “though I imagine Oikawa will find playing his old Kouhai even more difficult - The king of the court vs. The grand king. Honestly? They had a setter rivalry in junior high and it’s never really gone away. Tobio is a genuis and Oikawa is determined - he’s never stopped working to try and better himself... to be better than his genius setter kouhai. Today is the first time they will have played eachother since Karasuno beat us to Nationals in 3rd year... we’ll see how Tooru holds up,” he says, sending one more worried frown towards the court.

“And finally, there’s Bokuto and Hinata - The master vs. The pupil. Bokuto taught Hinata a lot about being a spiker - the two have a great relationship, from what I hear from Bo - but as a result, they have a lot of similar plays. Hinata has a better connection with his setter - their freak quick is a sight to behold - but Koutarou is the taller, stronger spiker, and his cross spike is incredibly hard to defend against... though he does fall into moods, whereas Hinata is endlessly optimistic... they both have their strengths and weaknesses - both teams do - it all just depends on who plays better tonight.”

As if punctuating his point, the doors below open with a loud slam, the crowd pausing, before exploding into noise and motion, while Yachi is still reeling from the information overload.

If she wasn’t nervous before, she certainly is now!

Leaping out of her seat, along with the rest of the stadium, she holds the bannister in front of her tightly as she cheers on her friends, a rush of tears coming to her eyes as she spots Kageyama, followed by a small dot of orange hair. Giggling at her tiny friend, she waits till they draw closer, before waving excitedly in their direction.

“Tobio! Shoyou!” She calls out, laughing heartily as she watches Hinata’s head swivelling frantically, obviously having heard her.

The boy’s entire body seems to light up as he spots her, hands waving manically through the air as he jumps in place, his flailing arms almost taking out Kageyama, before the setter grabs one harshly, yanking it down. She can’t help but snort at the display, watching as they fall into one of their typical arguments. Her cheeks ache from smiling as she takes in their familiar antics with fondness.

The two only fight for 20 seconds or so - one of their quicker disagreements - before she sees Hinata’s arm pointing in her direction, Tobio’s head whipping around to follow it, his eyes finally landing on her. Sending him a large wave, she shouts again.

“Hi, Tobio!” 

She watches as red, visible from her seat in the stands, flushes up his neck and across his cheeks. The boy gives her one of his rare, genuine smiles and a small, timid wave, before hauling Hinata onto the court to start warming up.

Confident that her two highschool friends know where she is in the stands, she turns her attention to the rest of their team.

Holy shit he’s tall...

They all are!

Tugging on Iwaizumi’s sleeve, she waits till the older boy leans down a bit, before asking, “why is everyone but Hinata a GIANT?! Is Nishinoya going to be okay? What if one of Lev’s spikes tears his arms off?!” She screeches, gradually building into a panic as she stares at the opposing team - she had thought the Tiger’s were intimidating!

It’s actually Kenma who answers her questions, not Iwaizumi, causing her to jump as she leans around to see they have taken up the spare seat on Iwaizumi’s other side.

“Lev is a baby. He may look tall and imposing, but he’s as scary as a kitten - Nishinoya is way more wild... they would do well not to underestimate him because of his height; that was what caused so many teams to fall to Karasuno during highschool. He and Hinata are more than capable of holding their own.”

Smiling at the other, feeling her nerves start to dissipate, she gives a nod. “Thank you, Kenma. I’ll try to remember that when volleyballs are speeding towards their faces...” maybe her nerves aren’t retreating after all!

A snort from Akaashi has her looking up towards him. “Kenma is right, they’ll be fine - well, as long as you start giving them some attention. I’m pretty sure Bokuto’s hair is drooping because you acknowledged Hinata and Kageyama, but not him.”

“WHAT?!” Whipping her head back towards the court, sure enough, Bokuto is scuffing his shoes against the floor as Nishinoya slaps his shoulder with enthusiasm. Oh no. “Ganbatte ne!” She calls out as loud as she can, hands cupping round her mouth.

Like a puppy hearing the front door unlocking, his head pops up, wide, golden eyes staring at her in awe. 

“You’ve got this, Bokuto! GO TIGERS!” She yells, trying to sound as preppy as possible.

Turns out Akaashi was right: Bokuto’s hair WAS drooping! Yachi watches on with mild horror as the other pumps his arms in the air. “Hey! Hey! Hey!” He shouts back, his hair slowly unfurling from it’s downward curl to stick back up with a ‘pop’ into it’s usual two-pronged style.

“Huh. Magical hair... got it.” She says in amazement, before meeting Akaashi’s eyes.

The other shrugs back at her. “I noticed it in high school, but no one else believed me.” He says seriously, the two staring at one another, before her lip twitches, signalling the two of them falling into peals of laughter, Yachi leaning on the other as he holds her shaking body upright.

The others stare on with mild fascination, apparently not finding Bokuto’s magical, mood-changing hair to be as funny as they do.

It takes a while, but the two eventually calm down, Yachi standing upright once more to look across the floor below. Smiling at Terushima and earning herself a wink from Oikawa, she finally makes eye contact with Kuroo, the other raising his eyebrows at her in question. Giving him a big smile and double thumbs up, she calls out, “good luck, Kuroo!” heart falling slightly as she watches surprise cross his face, before a cheeky smirk appears.

Crap, she thinks. She’s going to have to talk to him soon... he shouldn’t look surprised that she’s cheering him on. What is she going to do?

Enough, Hitoka, she chastises herself, shaking her head as if to dispell her negative thoughts. Kuroo needs your support right now, you don’t have time to wallow - you’re the one keeping secrets, not him!

Pushing herself out of her downward spiral, she throws out a couple more cheers of support, jumping slightly when the referee blows his whistle loudly. Flopping into her seat, she flinches in surprise when she feels a hand gripping her own. Turning to look at Akaashi, she’s shocked to see worry on his usually expressionless face. Squeezing his hand back, she gives him her best confident smile.

“They’re going to win.”

•••

It’s an incredibly close call, but the game has to end eventually.

The match goes on for an age, the second game split continuously as the teams chop and change who is trying for the game-winning point. It’s eventually won, however, by Kyoutani ripping an amazing cross spike across the length of the court, arm swinging round in a way that shouldn’t have been physically possible. The score reads 42-44, the black numbers standing out starkly against their white background.

It’s so intense. Yachi regularly finds herself gripping Akaashi’s hand with force as they shout for Bokuto to slam one more spike through Osaka’s defences, all four of them hurling abuse at the referee when he makes calls they disagree with - even Kenma.

The pair ups that Iwaizumi predicted before the match are all shockingly accurate - Yachi’s heart pounding out of her chest every time Oikawa and Kageyama would find themselves in a setter dump battle. 

The iron wall, frankly, terrified her, shutting down Bokuto, Tanaka and Yuuji more times than she could count - regularly accompanied by the looming height of one Haiba Lev. However, there was one memorable moment at the final point of the third game, where Kuroo managed to slide a spike inbetween the two giants, Yachi jumping out of her seat to pump a fist in the air. 

Meeting Kuroo’s eyes across the court, he opens is mouth in a smile, letting out a ferocious yell as he lifts an arm, pointing in her direction. ‘That one was for you’ he mouths, causing a blush to blossom, Akaashi knocking her shoulder with his, wearing a knowing smile - Bokuto having done something similar to him earlier in the match. Her heart blooms with hope, praying she can mend the rift currently distancing the two of them.

Her body courses with electricity every time she watches Tendou jump about with no rhythm or rhyme to his actions, shutting down spike after spike after spike. 

Her eyes widen, blinking rapidly every time she sees a ball rushing towards open space on their side of the court, only to be scooped up by Nishinoya suddenly appearing beneath it. 

Her chest clenches every time she watches Tanaka beating at his own chest, calling out for yet another ball, running up to the net with no pause - no fear that he might not make the shot - only determination to make every opportunity count. 

Her breath hitches every time she witnesses Terushima’s wild plays, convinced each time that he’s going for an impossible shot, only to be proven wrong as he wins them yet another point. 

Her head pounds every time she hears the thump of another ball being pummelled into the ground, Bokuto’s arms raising in victory after another successful spike.

Her arm muscles quiver every time she grips the railing before her for all she’s worth as she waits in the quiet arena for Oikawa to perform yet another magnificent service ace. 

Her heart skips a beat every time she stares at someone’s hand descending towards the ball, preparing to whack it down onto the court, only for Kuroo’s long, powerful arms to appear, slamming it back onto their side of the net with a ferocious grin. 

It’s mesmerising...

But nothing catches her eyes, breath or heart so much as Hinata and Kageyama do when she witnesses their freak quick for the first time.

She isn’t even sure what happened at first, her brain taking a second to process what her eyes have just seen, visions of the ball leaving Kageyama’s hands— only to reappear in front of Hinata, spinning as if in slow motion, before being crushed into the ground on the other side of the net.

She’s on her feet before she knows it, yelling along with the rest of the crowd as pride blossoms in her chest: her friends are amazing! Oh, how she regrets listening to her mother. She could have been witnessing this for years now! She can only be grateful to Kuroo for pushing her outside of her comfort zone and allowing her into his life - into all of this.

But, all good things must eventually come to an end.

The ball that signals the final match point pounds into the ground with a deafening echo as the stadium falls into silence, before erupting into noise.

...

They’ve lost.

She feels like her chest is splitting apart as she clings to Akaashi’s hand desperately - for once not running down straight away to see her friends. Instead, she stands proud and unwavering as tears streak down her cheeks, shouting, “good game!” along with her friends. When the team comes to bow before them, she sends them all her biggest grin, despite the tears dripping from her chin. 

She feels bad for not rushing down to see Hinata and Kageyama like she did for Tsukki and Yamaguchi, but she knows they wont notice - too caught up in their win. Instead, she filters down with the rest of the crowd, walking slowly with her friends. They go towards a different room this time, where the players apparently go once they have showered and cleaned up.

It takes a while before the boys start to slowly trickle out, Yachi allowing Nishinoya and Tanaka to squish her between them as they give her a crushing hug, the small girl trying her hardest to convey her love and pride for them through her firm grip.

Oikawa and Bokuto are both in absolute states when they come out, snot and tears everywhere, despite having already washed up. They each give her a quick hug, before being swallowed up by their respective partner and crush.

A short while later, Kuroo eventually emerges, flanked by Tendou and Terushima. The three of them look the most put together of the group, joking about something or other as they wander out, but Yachi can see the pain in Kuroo’s eyes when his meet hers across the room.

She lets Kenma go to Kuroo first, instead sidetracking to Terushima who looks pleasantly surprised to be getting a hug from her, gently wrapping his arms around her in return.

“Good game, Terushima,” she says, smiling up at him with sincerity, before pulling away and turning to Tendou. “It was amazing - you all were!” She says, swaddling Tendou into a cuddle too, because why not. They’re all clearly upset about losing the game and everyone deserves a cuddle. Pulling away she beams at the two, giving a small giggle as Tendou pats her head with three little boops.

She watches them walk away for a moment, smiling at the genuine smiles that curl from their lips this time, before turning to Kuroo. Seeing that Kenma is nowhere in sight, she steps forwards, allowing herself to embrace the man she hasn’t stopped worrying about for the past 20 minutes.

Rubbing her face into his chest, she wills herself not to cry again as warm, familiar arms come to curl around her, pulling her in closer so that no space exists between their flush bodies. She feels soft breaths on her neck as Kuroo presses his face down into her hair, squeezing her that little bit tighter as he sighs out, “hey Kitten.”

Tears welling in her eyes, she cant hide the crack in her voice as she speaks into his shirt. 

“You did SO good, Tetsurou,” she says, unable to stop herself from using his given name, trying to express the truth in her words.

A soft chuckle hits her hair. “Thanks Angel, but not good enough, I’m afraid.”

Without pulling away from his embrace, Yachi lifts a hand and lightly hits him across the back. “You did amazingly! Everyone was so amazing - don’t be mean to yourself, I wont allow it!”

“Will you not?” He says smoothly, laughter evident in his voice.

“No,” she says petulantly, smiling softly when it drags said laugh from him. “Kuroo is my friend, I wont let you to be rude to him!”

“Okay, okay! He was awesome—”

“Damn right he was!” She says, nodding her head in satisfaction, before the two fall into careful silence, the room having cleared out behind them.

Basking in his warmth, it takes all of her might to pull back so that she can look into his face, bodies still pressed firmly together.

“Thank you... for introducing me to volleyball,” she whispers with a gentle smile.

Returning the look, he stares at her with indulgent eyes as he replies, “you’re welcome. I’m glad you agreed to come.”

“Me too... 3 years wasted,” she sighs.

“What do you mean?” Kuroo asks, brow creasing in confusion.

Yachi hesitates, staring into Kuroo’s eyes, before deciding to admit the truth - she’s trying to get better at that. 

“You know I’ve been friends with Hinata and Kageyama since first year, right?” He nods. “Well, I was actually approached before I knew them by this girl called Kiyoko-san. She asked me to be the new Karasuno volleyball manager and... I agreed!” She says, smiling at the look of shock that crosses his face. 

“Later that night, I took the flyer home and I sat down with my mother to tell her what I was going to do... and she told me I couldn’t do it. She said my studies were more important than some pointless club and that I wouldn’t be able to do it anyways with my... disposition,” she whispers.

“Disposition— what the hell does THAT mean?”

“Sh-She said that I was too anxious a-and pathetic - that I’d just make a fool of myself... so I agreed. I ripped up the flyer and I told Kiyoko-san the next day that I’d made a mistake. My mother said I’d made the right decision and it was for the best - that she was PROUD of me for taking my studies seriously... so that was the excuse I used every time one of the guys would ask me to a game. I mean sure, I’d ask my mother if I could go, but she would always give me this... DISAPPOINTED look, you know? Eventually I stopped asking and I told the guys the truth... all for the approval of a mother that doesn’t even care. What a waste of 3 years!” She explodes, pulling away from Kuroo to pace, the other watching on with morbid fascination.

“I mean, think about it! We would have met three years ago if I had just said yes! You, me, Bokuto... everyone! We all could have been friends before Uni! I might have never ended up in this situation...” she whispers, heartbroken at the realisation.

Slowly reaching out, she allows herself to be reeled back in by Kuroo, who places his head atop hers, rubbing her back in soothing motions.

Horror spreads through her body at the realisation. She might never have had to live with Suzumeda if she had known everyone beforehand... if she had become the Karasuno manager like she wanted to. She lets out a mirthless chuckle. How fucked up is that?

“Ended up in what situation, Kitten?” Kuroo hesitantly asks in the silence that follows her outburst, shushing her gently when her body tenses up against his. “Is this about...?”

Letting out a sigh, she leans against him fully, allowing him to take her whole weight. “Yeah... meeting you guys a lot sooner really would have made things easier, huh?” She questions to herself, snuggling closer to her friend. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you yet.”

The hand rubbing her back pauses for a second, before continuing in its ministrations. “And I’m sorry I’ve been distant,” he confesses, “it’s just... every time I see you... all I can picture are those bruises and I don’t know who did it or how or WHY AND— god. I just want to bundle you up and take you home with me where I know you’ll be safe... but you said you needed time, so I’m trying to give you that... it’s just difficult to give you time while being around you, because all I want to do is ask you about it.”

The confession gives Yachi pause, the younger mulling over his words in the ensuing silence, guilt eating away at her heart. “I’m sorry... I didn’t realise you felt that way...” she whispers slowly, clearly contemplating something. 

Kuroo waits it out patiently, watching the minute ticks in her face betraying the complex range of emotions she’s currently going through. 

“I’ll tell you after tomorrow,” knocks him out of his freckle-counting trance.

“What?”

“I’ll tell you everything,” she says with finality. Despite the slight waver in her voice, her eyes are hard and determined. “It’s Akaashi’s party tomorrow, and Hinata and Kageyama are here, so tomorrow is out - but once they leave on Sunday, we can meet up and I’ll tell you everything. It’s...” she stops, breath whooshing out of her lungs in a deep sigh. “It’s not getting better— it’s not getting worse, either, don’t worry!” She hastens to say at the tensing of Kuroo’s body, “but it’s not getting better. I thought I could deal with it - fix it - on my own... but I’m getting nowhere fast and I’m sick of keeping secrets....”

“I’m sick of keeping secrets too...” Kuroo says, staring intently into her honey eyes, apparently trying to convey something to her without words... oh!

“I’m sorry!” She says, surprise taking over Kuroo’s features at her apology. “You’ve been keeping secrets from your friends too - all because of me! It must have been hard to keep everyone away from me while I was healing. SELFISH HITOKA!” She berates herself, missing the fond look that crosses Kuroo’s face as he pulls her back into his chest, his warmth caressing her body once more. 

“It’s okay... I’ve been through worse,” he jokes, laying his head on hers once more. To think he was jealous that Tsukishima got to hold her like this only a couple of weeks ago...

“Sunday, I promise,” she whispers into his chest, oblivious to the rush of emotions she causes in Kuroo, the other glad to finally be gaining her trust.

“Okay, Hitoka,” he says, smiling down at her, “Sunday it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo: im so in love with you and im sick of keeping it a secret
> 
> Yachi: omg im sorry you had to hide me from your friends!
> 
> Kuroo: *facepalms*
> 
> Also, yes. The ‘thank you for introducing me to volleyball’ was a nod to Kenma’s ‘thank you for getting me into volleyball’ from the manga COS I CRIED!
> 
> Also Tanaka is a baby who deserves players like Akaashi and Iwaizumi acknowledging him because everyone always talked about kageyama and Hinata... 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, my loves! Xoxo


	29. You’re Not Going To Fight The Bouncer, Hinata!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> READ ME!!! RED ALERT!!!
> 
> To anyone who doesn’t know, I uploaded a chapter on Saturday - SO IF YOU HAVENT READ THAT ONE YET, GO DO IT NOW!
> 
> And if you have read it, hello! Welcome back :D
> 
> Once again we have another longer chapter, with a cheeky bit of KageHinaYachi! 
> 
> Y’all aint ready for this...
> 
> I hope you enjoy! Please kudos, comment or dm, it means the ABSOLUTE WORLD to me! Hearing from you guys is the highlight of my day <3
> 
> Sorry I’m posting this so early, but its 11am here and I havent slept yet ToT
> 
> Sweet dreams, my volleybabes! Peace out ✌🏼 xoxo

Hinata and Kageyama are, understandably, excited to see Yachi - Hinata practically buzzing with excitement over facetime as she tells them she has been invited to Akaashi’s party too. 

They had all been a little worried that they wouldn’t get to see very much of eachother during their short stay in Tokyo, Osaka’s coach having planned a bunch of activities for them to do on Saturday. Luckily, Kageyama and Hinata were able to wiggle out of the evening activities with the excuse of seeing some family members before leaving the next day - their coach never has to know that they consider Yachi a part of their family. 

Tugging on the bottom of her dress, Yachi stares into the mirror hesitantly. There are a couple of pink lines on her shins where the glass cuts are still freshly healed... she doesn’t think anyone will notice if they aren’t looking for it, but it still makes her nervous to be baring the injuries so brazenly.

She did promise Kuroo that she would be honest with him though... so this is her way of easing into that. No one else - bar Hinata and Kageyama who are watching her from the bed, where they are pretending to play animal crossing - will know what those marks mean... but it’s a start. 

Wiggling a little to get the material to settle properly, she takes in her full appearance. 

Her blonde hair is gently curled into a messy updo, with a couple of ringlets pulled out to frame her face, along with her fringe, which is swept gently to the side. Adorning her ears and neck, she wears matching aquamarine studs and a dainty aquamarine necklace - gifts from Hinata and Kageyama for her 18th birthday. The two boys had smiled brightly at her when she asked them to help her clip the necklace on, Hinata trying with jiggly fingers, before Tobio snapped at him and shoved him out of the way, doing the clasp with surprising ease. When Yachi commented on it, he blushed before saying he’s helped his mother do hers more than once. 

She’s wearing a midi-length, floaty, white dress with swirly, light blue flower patterns across it. The dress comes down to just below her knees, floating out softly thanks to a couple of gentle underlayers, giving it a slight bit of volume. The top has spaghetti straps and a V neckline, showing off her tapered shoulders and small, but perky bossom, the necklace lying prettily in the centre of her chest. A thick, empire waistband just beneath her breasts, accentuates her slim frame, resting nicely against her ribs. A row of small, half-sphere buttons runs down from the V between her breasts to the very bottom of her dress, creating the illusion of length, making her body seem longer and taller than it is. White, strappy heels - not the pumps she wore to Kuroo’s party or Akaashi’s concert, she thinks they might be cursed - adorn her feet, completing the look. 

Giving a final twirl, determined to ignore her discomfort at baring her legs, she turns to her friends with a smile.

“Ready to go?”

“Hell yeah!” Hinata shouts, abandoning her switch on the bed, to jump up and spin her around in a hug. “You look beautiful!” He says, amber eyes shining brightly.

Stuttering out a thank you, she smiles as Kageyama crosses the room, cheeks flushed red as he gruffly say, “nuff.”

There’s a moment of silence, before she and Hinata fall into laughter, the ginger whacking his friend harshly across the shoulder as he glares at them, though they can see a small smile tugging at his lips. Ever since Kageyama said ‘nuff’ instead of nice to Hinata during one of their matches, it’s become an inside joke within their group, everyone saying ‘nuff’ whenever they want to say nice. It annoyed the black-haired boy at first, but it didn’t take him long to join in with the madness, realising there was no escaping it.

Giggles petering out, Hinata gives her a more serious look. “Are you ready to go?” 

Turning back to stare at herself once more, she hesitates.

“... You know we wont think any less of you if you decide to cover your legs, Yachi,” Hinata says softly from behind her.

“I know,” she replies, equally as soft, “but I will.”

“But—” he starts to say, but is interrupted by Kageyama placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

“You look beautiful, Hitoka,” he says sincerely, the tips of his ears now turning pink too, “you have nothing to hide.”

Smiling gratefully to her friend, she gives a firm nod, before picking up her bag for the night. “Exactly!” She says with determination.

Preparing to walk out the door, Hinata gives a sudden shout of exclamation, grabbing her arm to pull her across the room. Sending a glare across to Kageyama, the boy gives a huff, before joining them to stand in front of the mirror. 

“What, dobe?”

“We need a mirror selfie!” He shouts back, Yachi trying to hold in her laughter as Tobio rapidly tries to move away, only to be held in place by the short boy’s firm grip. “Nuh-uh! No getting out of this one! We haven’t seen Yachi in months!”

Torn between fleeing and wanting to make his friends happy, Yachi watches his eyes flitting from the mirror to them, before his shoulders loosen and sag. 

“Fine...”

“Yay!” The two cheer, Yachi looping her arm through his to pull him flush next to her in the mirror. Looking up at him she gives him a confident wink. “Smile, Kags!”

The soft smile he sends her is interrupted by the click of Hinata’s phone, the other snorting as Kageyama glares at him. “I wasn’t ready!”

“Pfft! I know! But you were ACTUALLY smiling, I couldn’t miss it!”

Grumbling at Hinata’s antics, Yachi sends him an eyeroll, before turning back to the mirror with a smile. “Come on, Hinata! Aki-Nii said he would drive us to the party! We’re already running late!”

“Okay, okay! Everybody smile.... GOTCHA!” He exclaims, holding his phone up to his face with a squint, before crying in triumph, “YES! Bakeyama isn’t doing a scary smile!”

“DOBE! I’ll kill you!” The black-haired setter shouts, running towards Hinata who squeaks in terror and flees the room, the other hot on his heels. 

Letting out a sigh, Yachi rubs her brow with a chuckle. It’s going to be an interesting night.

•••

The building Akiteru drops them off at is buzzing with people, cars lining up outisde to drop off their passengers, before speeding away efficiently. 

Akaashi’s parents seem to have invited a lot of people...

Stepping up to the doorway, a bouncer asks for their names and to see their ID. Hinata enthusiastically tells him their names, ignoring the glare directed his way by the beefy man, as Yachi cowers behind Kageyama for protection - this man is no gentle giant like Asahi.

After checking the list and their IDs thoroughly, he lets out a sigh and lifts the rope barrier to let them in. “Try not to ruin anything,” he grits out, staring directly at Hinata as he says this, the other flailing his limbs in indignation. 

Kageyama snorts, grabbing the other’s collar to pull him further into the building, ignoring his whines as he does. “You’re not going to fight the bouncer, Hinata.”

“I could take him!”

“Please don’t!” Yachi pipes up from behind, aware of the stares Hinata is starting to attract as they walk towards the giant double doors ahead of them - which she can only assume lead to the ballroom. “This is Akaashi’s party Hinata,” she warns, eyes scanning the crowd to confirm the theory slowly forming in her head. “I think his parents have invited professionals that might be interested in his music...”

“Oh?” He asks, pulling out of Kageyama’s grip to stare at her with wide eyes. “How come?”

“W-Well,” she stutters, “look around. How many people our age do you actually see?”

Turning to assess the wide foyer they are currently in, she sees in their faces when they realise what she means. 

“It’s about half and half...” Kageyama mutters, glaring at the crowds that are still staring, due to Hinata’s little display before.

“Exactly. There should be way more Uni students here. He told me his parents were organising the whole thing... I think they may have invited people who are interested in Akaashi’s future, rather than his friends,” she worries.

“So this is like what... a scouting event, rather than a birthday party?!” Hinata asks loudly, quickly being shushed by Kageyama as more people begin to look their way.

“Yes!” Yachi hisses in reply, looping her arms through their’s to start tugging them towards the ballroom, away from the glares. “Which means we need to be on our BEST behaviour and not create a scene, or it will reflect badly on Akaashi and they may not want to scout him!”

“Ohhhh,” twin noises of understanding come from both boys, as Yachi sighs. Keeping these two in check just made tonight a whole lot more difficult. Walking into the ballroom, her eyes sweep it desperately for someone she recognises... over there!

Practically dragging the two across the room, she flops down into the chair next to Kenma with relief. “Thank goodness you’re here,” she whispers lowly, “are we the only ones to have arrived?”

Sending her a smirk, their eyes quickly flit across the room, before they reply equally as quiet. “No, the whole flat is here. Iwaizumi has taken them to go and get food from the buffet, in the hopes that it will keep them entertained for a while...”

“Ahhh, smart thinking,” Yachi agrees, already wondering if she should take Kageyama and Hinata across too.

The chair beside her is pulled out as Kageyama settles into it, an uncomfortable frown on his face, while Hinata sits beside Kenma with a bright smile, vibrating with the need to speak loudly. Yachi sends him a grateful smile, knowing he’s trying his best to be sensible.

“It will be fine, Tobes,” she says, leaning over into Kageyama’s space. “Once everyone gets back to the table we can chat and have a good time... we just need to watch the volume.”

Shoulders loosening at her reassurance, he nods back at her, before straightening to survey the room.

Content to let her friend people-watch for a while, she turns back to Hinata and Kenma, who are now having a whispered conversation - well, whisper-shouting for Hinata - a soft smile crossing Kenma’s lips... huh. She knew the two of them were close, but having never seen them interact before, she never realised just how close. The small smile on their face grows wider at something Hinata says, gesturing to the switch on the table in front of Kenma. 

Well... she didn’t see that coming!

Turning away to give the... couple?... some privacy, she jumps as a raised voice calls out from behind her. 

“Ewww, what is HE doing here? Iwa-chaaan why do I have to sit at the same table as bakeyama?!”

Turning round, she laughs as she watches Iwaizumi slap the back of his boyfriend’s head with a grunted out, “don’t be mean - and DON’T cause a scene, Trashykawa!”

“Meaannnn, Iwa-chan!” He says, before stomping round the circular table to take a seat directly opposite Kageyama with a glare, the others gradually filling out the rest of the seats as the watch on with humour.

“Tooru!” Yachi chides, the boy’s eyes flitting to her for the first time, “Tobios my friend, be nice!”

“But Yachi—”

“No. I’ve known him for longer! Be nice, or we will all be moving tables.” She says with finality. She needs to nip this in the bud. It’s been something that’s bugged her since she first heard Oikawa talking about her friend. If he wants to cause drama, that’s fine - just not at Akaashi’s party. 

The silence that follows her statement is deafening, before the whole table becomes an uproar, Iwaizumi and Yachi desperately trying to shush people into submission. 

“You can’t move, Yacchan—”

“Now look what you’ve done, Tooru—”

“But I wanted to get to know you—”

“Waahhh Angel-chan, you betray me—”

“Shut up!” Iwaizumi’s voice booms above the rest, causing numerous tables to shoot them venomous glances. 

“... Fine. I’ll be nice to bake— KAGEyama...” Oikawa sulks, fork stabbing into some potato.

Letting out a sigh, eyes nervously roaming the room, Yachi sends him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Tooru.”

A whine from her left has her turning to look at Bokuto, who is seated between Hinata and Kuroo. “How come you use Oikawa’s first name?!” He asks.

“O-Oh! I don’t know... I-I didn’t mean to, it just slipped out!”

“It’s like when your mum uses your middle name when you make her mad,” Terushima chuckles from Kuroo’s other side, sandwiched between him and Oikawa. “Yachi calls you by your first name if you’ve upset her - or at least, that’s what Kei says.” 

“Wahhh?! You know Tsukki by first name?! He only ever let’s Yamaguchi and Hitoka call him Kei!” Hinata jumps in, the new topic of conversation removing a lot of the previous tension. 

“Oh! Ahh... hmmm,” Terushima struggles, clearly not knowing what to say to defend his slip up.

Letting out a small giggle, Yachi reaches into her bag and pulls out her phone.

Message Chat: JurASSic

Me: So... Terushima just called you Kei.

Me: You have maybe 5 minutes before he cracks and tells Hinata you’re a couple.

JurASSic: ...

JurASSic: ffs

JurASSic: okay, hang on.

...

Lifting her head back up, she laughs at the panic displayed on Terushima’s face as he tries to convince both Hinata and Kageyama - who has also joined in the conversation - that he only calls him Kei to annoy him.

“But why would you still call him Kei if he’s not here?” Kageyama questions him, frown deepening as a blush rises on Terushima’s cheeks, the rest of the table sniggering and coughing into their hands as they watch the drama unfold. 

A chiming from Hinata’s jacket pocket has the whole table holding it’s breath in suspense as they watch him pull it out to check, only to do a double take. Eyes moving swiftly between his phone and Terushima, he lifts an arm to dramatically point at the blond.

“YOU! AND TSUKKI?!” He yells, once again gaining the attention of the tables around them as everyone else falls into chaos. They’ve all known about the couple since Kuroo’s party, but found Terushima’s struggles to hide it too funny to interrupt.

“Erm... yeah?” Terushima says hesitantly, scratching the back of his neck with a smile.

Staring at the spiker in shock for a good 5 seconds, Hinata eventually turns his attention to Yachi. “AND YOU KNEW?!”

“Yes, Hinata - I knew,” she giggles out.

“But... WHY?!” He cries, head turned to face the ceiling as if asking the gods. 

Kageyama nudging her from the right has her turning to him. 

“You know you could have told us, right?” He asks, grabbing Hinata’s attention as the ginger nods his head enthusiastically.

“I know, but it wasn’t my secret to tell! I didn’t even know Tsukki liked guys until he came up here for his match - I mean, I SUSPECTED, but he never told me anything.”

“Oh. I guess not...” Kageyama says pensively, before turning to glare at Terushima who sends him a hesitant smile. “Hurt him and I’ll serve a volleyball straight into your face.” He says, the seriousness of his statement ruined by the table spluttering into laughter once more, Noya whacking him on the back with joy. 

The evening settles a little more after that, Tsukishima’s coming out having removed the rest of the awkward tension. The group is loud, sure, but not rowdy enough to gain them more than a couple of dirty glances as the night goes on. 

Akaashi comes over to the table a couple of times; the first to check that everyone is alright and apologise for the extravagance of the event, siting that his parents organised it; the second with said parents to introduce them to Yachi specifically - since she was the only member at the table they hadn’t met before; and the third just for a chat, the musician looking a little haggard. 

None of those times seemed like a good one for her to interrupt and give him his present, so she watches, keeping an eye out for any time when he might be free for her to wander across.

2 hours into the night, her time comes, only not as she had anticipated.

Looking across the room, she finds her eyes drawn to Akaashi, who seems to be talking to two girls, with an uncomfortable look on his face...

Oh...

Oh no.

Eyes darting about, Yachi looks for someone to interrupt them, but no one seems to want to go across. Yachi can see Akaashi’s discomfort building from across the room and something inside her snaps.

Grabbing her gift bag from under the table, she tells Hinata and Kageyama she’s going to get some food, hoping for a quick getaway, only for them both to agree to come with her, hopping up to go to the buffet, along with Kuroo, Oikawa and Iwaizumi, who sends her an eyeroll - the two of them having agreed in an earlier conversation that they’re the responsible members of the group tonight.

Sighing out a soft curse, she drags behind the group as they head across to the food selection, before stuttering out a quick, “I’ll be right back!” swiftly cutting between the tables to her left, heading to the far side of the room where Akaashi is.

Drawing closer, she steels herself, taking one more deep breath, before walking over to Akaashi’s side, looping her arm through his. “Hi, ‘Kaashi. We all miss you at the table, you should come over!” She says, trying to sound as casual and familiar as possible, while looking up to meet the glares of Suzumeda and Yukie.

“Oh! Thank you, Yachi...” Akaashi says, sounding confused, but grateful.

Sending him a genuine smile, she says, “I’ve still got to give you your birthday present anyways! I haven’t been able to find a good time to give it to you yet.” She jiggles the bag on her arm for emphasis.

“Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything...”

“Of course I did!” She says, panic rising slowly as she tries to walk him away from the two angry girls.

Of course, life was never that kind to Hitoka.

“And where have you been?” Suzumeda’s voice cuts in to their hasty retreat, Yachi wincing at the shrill note. She was SO CLOSE, DAMNIT!

“W-What do you mean?” She stutters out, trying to continue her journey, but being stopped by Akaashi who is frowning at the two.

“I mean you haven’t been in the flat for two weeks and almost all of your stuff is gone. You know you still have to pay the rent, right?” She snarks.

“Of course I do, I-I’m still paying for the room.”

“Yachi...” Akaashi’s soft voice tries to cut in.

“I’m not surprised she ran away,” Yukie sneers at her from behind Suzumeda, “she’s a pathetic wimp.” She says, eyes glittering as she looks to Akaashi.

They... they can’t possibly be going to..?! Yachi thinks, breaths coming a little quicker now.

Are they going to admit they’ve been bullying her to try and impress Akaashi?

Unsure how to respond to Yukie’s dig, Yachi tugs on Akaashi’s arm with a gentle, “come on,” praying she can diffuse the situation by walking away.

“I’m sorry, but what did you say?” Akaashi asks, his voice as hard as his unmovable body, as he turns his back to the ballroom, giving the two smirking girls his full attention.

“What? You didn’t notice the marks we left on her for you?” Yukie gloats further. “We figured you’d have realised how pathetic she was when you saw them... unless... you DIDN’T SEE THEM?” She asks with fake surprise.

“Yachi... what is she talking about?” Akaashi asks her softly, but Yachi can’t answer for the air now trapped in her throat.

“Take a look at her legs,” Suzumeda casually mentions, pretending to examine her nails.

“Her...” Akaashi pulls away from her hold to step back, eyes roaming over her legs before they widen as he notices the marks, his gaze launching up to meet hers, which is now glassy with embarrassment. Taking a step towards her, she stumbles backwards in fear, shock colouring his features, before anger takes over.

“You think this is something to brag about?” He asks, tone quiet and deadly as he turns back to the two girls before him.

“We only wanted you to realise that you deserve better than a sad, meek, girlfriend like her!” Suzumeda replies, saccharine innocence dripping from her voice.

“Girlfr—” Akaashi pauses, eyes widening in understanding as he looks to Yachi once more. 

Unable to hold his gaze, she turns her head to the floor, shame rising through her body.

“Why would you care about who my girlfriend is...” he questions carefully.

Blushes bloom across both girls’ faces as they look to the ground demurely: the picture of innocence. “Well... we...” Yukie starts softly, looking up at Akaashi through her thick lashes.

“We think you’re really amazing, and we would love to go on a date sometime... all three of us?” Suzumeda joins in, something more primal and flirty entering her voice as she mentions the three of them together, as if it could sway him.

Shock and disgust war with one another on Akaashi’s face as he asks, “and what has Yachi got to do with this?”

“Well, she’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?” Yukie jumps in. “She told us she wasn’t but... we managed to get her to tell the truth eventually. You shouldn’t want to go out with someone who would lie about being with you, you know?” She chides, sending a vicious glance of victory Yachi’s way.

“So... you what? Beat her up? All because she was going out with me?”

“Oh no, not BEAT HER UP... just, gave her some incentive to tell the truth,” Suzumeda says with a lazy shrug.

Heart dropping as she watches Akaashi’s fists clench in anger, Yachi can’t help but be disappointed with herself. She tried to help him escape the awkward situation, but she’s only made it worse... that’s two of her friend’s birthdays she’s ruined now. Taking another step backwards, preparing to flee the scene, Yachi’s back hits a solid wall of muscle.

Whipping her head up, she flinches at the sight of Kageyama and Hinata’s hard faces, the setter wrapping a firm arm around her waist to keep her in place.

“Yachi...” Hinata speaks into the quiet, the other three having noticed his and Kageyama’s appearance, “who are they?”

“Hinata...”

“Who. Are. They.” He grits out, already knowing the truth.

“S-Suzumeda and Y-Yukie,” she whispers.

Mouth transforming from a flat line into a snarl, he takes a step forwards. “You bitches,” he hisses.

“What did you just say?” Yukie asks shrilly as she takes a step away from Hinata.

Yachi jumps in surprise when another voice rings out from behind Kageyama as two more figures step into view.

“Actually, that was my question,” Oikawa states, voice cold and calculating as he takes another step forwards, “because I THOUGHT you just said you ‘gave her some incentive’ which sounds very suspicious to me,” he finishes, Iwaizumi taking his place next to his boyfriend, arms crossed in anger. 

Movement from her left has her turning her head to see Kuroo wearing a similar face of cold, calculated rage, hands clenching and unclenching by his sides. 

“We didn’t do much!” Yukie squeals, “just scare her a little, that’s all! She needed to know that Akaashi was ours!”

“I thought you said those marks on her legs were thanks to you?” Akaashi butts in, face impassive.

“We—”

Whatever Suzumeda was about to say is cut off by a low growl from Hinata. “How dare you hurt Hitoka like that?” He spits out. “Do you have any idea how much damage you caused? We thought her ribs were FRACTURED! Do you know the kind of complications that can come from a fractured rib?!” He shouts, gaining attention from the tables close to them.

“Hinata...” Yachi tries again, voice soft and shaky.

“Yachi...” she hears from her left, stomach dropping as she turns to the owner of that voice. “Are they... is this— are they the ones that did that to your body?” Kuroo asks.

Unable to face him, she closes her eyes and gives a small nod, hearing his sharp intake of breath at her admission. 

“Did WHAT to her body?!” Oikawa grinds out.

“She showed up to my party— fuck!” Kuroo whispers harshly, before turning to look his friend in the eyes. “When she was at my birthday party, I went to touch her and she flinched away from me - I tried to help, but I couldn’t touch her without causing her more pain...” he admits softly, losing himself in the memory of that night. “I ended up getting Tsukishima and he lifted up her top to see her injuries. She was... fucking hell, Tooru! She was black and blue pretty much everywhere, but her shoulders! She had a black bruise spanning the entirety of her lower back! It was awful... I got a better look at them on the Monday when I wrapped her ribs... it was shocking...” he admits, hand tugging at his hair in distress. “She promised she would tell me what was going on tomorrow...”

“So you’re telling me,” Oikawa says, voice deep and full of hatred, “that these BITCHES have been living with and abusing Yachi for weeks now, all because they thought she was Akaashi’s girlfriend?”

“Yep.” Hinata replies, eyes having never left the two girls before him, who are now cowering in fear.

“Get out.” Akaashi speaks, tone hard and unforgiving.

“W-What?!” Yukie stutters with wide eyes.

“You heard me - Get. Out.” He forces out between his teeth. “And from now on you will be banned from all of my concerts.”

“No! You can’t do that to us, we aren’t leaving just because that whore—” Suzumeda rants, before she is cut off my a bellow from Oikawa as he launches himself at her. 

“You fucking bitch! You think you can hurt my family?!” He shouts, grabbing handfuls of the girl’s long hair as Iwaizumi tries to pull him away, his yell having gained the attention of the rest of their table who are now flying across the ballroom to get to them.

Tears spilling down her cheeks, Yachi turns to Tobio with sorrow. “Can you get me out of here, please?” She asks.

Torn between looking after Yachi and watching the fight, Tobio nods his head brusquely, quickly stepping forward to grab Hinata, who is being held back by Akaashi. Looking back, the ginger notices the state Yachi is in and quickly sobers, pulling her into a fierce hug. 

It’s happened... her worst fear has fallen into place... 

There’s nothing she can do anymore, she thinks, head empty and heart numb.

A nudge at her chin has her looking up at Hinata, who quickly wipes away the tears forming in her eyes.

“Don’t let them beat you,” he says firmly, staring into her eyes with his own piercing, amber ones. “They’ve lost, Yachi. Any chance they had with Akaashi is gone, and you don’t have to live with them anymore. You’re free.”

Eyes widening at his words, Yachi feels a curl of emotion bloom from within her chest: Hope.

Nodding to her friend with determination, she wills her legs to stop shaking and holds her head high with pride as she walks across the room.

She’s free.

•••

Kuroo watches Yachi walk away, flanked by Hinata and Kageyama, who he has no doubt, are glaring down anyone that looks at her the wrong way.

His chest aches as he stares at her retreating form... he wants nothing more than to go with them, but he isn’t sure he’s welcome right now.

I should have realised, he thinks.

HER FLATMATE!

It’s so obvious! All of the information was there, if he’d just paid more attention!

“Go to her,” Bokuto says, making him flinch, the other having managed to sneak up beside him.

“I can’t, Bo...”

“Why not?”

“Because she needs her friends right now, not me...”

“But you’re her friend too?” He questions, the confusion evident in his voice.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to be!” He says explosively, pacing for a couple of steps, before turning back to his best friend. “I want to be more than her friend,” he admits again, calmer this time, “and she’s clearly not in a place where romance is even on the table.”

“But—”

“No, Kou. Her health has to come first. Me trying to insert myself into her life when she’s vulnerable like this... I would be taking advantage of her,” he sighs.

“Oh...” Bokuto makes a noise of understanding, gripping his friend’s shoulder in a show of support.

Looking up again, he sees that Suzumeda and Yukie are being removed from the ballroom and their group of friends is being led by Akaashi towards a pair of double doors at the other side of the hall.

Following him through silently, they find themselves in a large, empty room, Akaashi turning to face them with a sigh as Kuroo lets out one of his own. This is such a mess.

...

It’s all my fault...

...

“It’s all my fault.” He hears someone say, echoing his thoughts exactly.

Head flying up, he meets Akaashi’s wounded gaze as the boy reiterates once more, “It’s my fault.”

“How on earth is this your fault?!” Oikawa questions him aggressively, pushing to the front of the group.

“They liked me... they hurt Yachi because they thought she was my girlfriend...”

“But why would they think that?” Nishinoya calls out, roughly brushing at the skinned edges of his knuckles where he must have landed a hit, when he came flying in to rescue Yachi.

“Because... I talked about her a lot,” Akaashi admits, his head hanging with remorse.

“Talked about her how?”

“Like a disgruntled boyfriend would talk about their annoying girlfriend,” Kenma pipes up from their spot leaning against the wall, a dark look in their eyes.

“What?!” Oikawa asks again, voice rising in frustration. “Stop talking in circles and tell us the truth!”

Head lifting, Akaashi’s dead eyes take in his friends around the room. “Fuck...” he sighs out, before taking a deep breath. “I used to talk about Yachi a lot - complain, really - because I was jealous... of her relationship with you guys... her relationship with Bokuto...” he pauses, waiting to see if there’s any questions, before continuing. “Suzumeda and Yukie must have overheard me talking about her at some of my concerts and figured she meant something to me - meaning she was in their way. I didn’t know they knew her! I swear... I was just trying to vent some of my frustrations because... well... I felt like I was losing my friends to her,” he admits with a frown.

“Akaashi...” Bokuto remarks softly, only to be interrupted by Oikawa.

“That doesn’t explain everything.”

“I... tried to avoid her as best as I could, but we bumped into one another a couple of weeks back... we kind of talked and she mentioned how she had stayed in our flat after Karaoke, which I hadn’t know, and I got angry. Suzumeda— she had told me that she found Bokuto and Yachi in a... sexual situation, so I thought they were going out! But then when she said she had stayed in Kuroo’s room and that she wasn’t interested in Bokuto that way... I kind of lost it. I got angry and shouted at her for treating Bokuto that way when he - in my mind - clearly liked her... it was later brought to my attention, however, that our argument from the outside looked like I was... accusing her of cheating on me with Bokuto. 

“Having overheard the argument, it was all the confirmation Suzumeda and Yukie needed that she was my girlfriend. I don’t know what exactly happened in between then and now, but I know that my actions were the catalyst to their abuse... it’s all my fault,” he finishes with a whisper, the rest of the room shocked in the quiet.

“But... why would you be mean to her if you thought I liked her, Akaashi?” Bokuto asks, causing numerous people’s shoulders to tense up.

Standing up straight, Oikawa turns to the side to grip Bokuto’s shoulder in support, before looking to Akaashi with a glare. 

“I get why you did it, but I’m not happy with you.” He says firmly.

“I know,” he whispers back, ignoring Bokuto’s question.

“As long as you know.” He says with finality, before letting go of Bokuto to clasp Iwaizumi’s hand. “Come on, lets give them some space.” He mutters, all but dragging his boyfriend out the room with a glare to the other occupants, challenging them to disagree with him.

Cowed by Tooru’s look, the rest of the room slowly filter out, until only Bokuto and Akaashi remain, the former looking small and confused.

“Akaashi?”

Letting out a sigh, Akaashi turns to Bokuto, squaring his shoulders. He can deal with it - however Bokuto decides to react, he can deal with it.

“The reason I was rude to Yachi when I thought you liked her, is because I’m in love with you, Bokuto.”

“... What?” Bokuto whispers, staggering back a step, causing Akaashi to wince.

“I love you... and I have for a very long time,” he admits.

“But— you— I—” Bokuto stammers, struggling to string a sentence together. 

“I had thought that maybe you felt the same way,” Akaashi continues, ignoring Bokuto’s spluttering. “But then Yachi came along and she was all you could talk about and I realised... I’d lost you... and I was devastated.” 

“B-But, you didn’t lose me!”

“It felt like it,” Akaashi says with a hollow laugh.

“Akaashi...” Bokuto whispers reverently, “did I ever tell you how Yachi and I became friends?”

“No? I don’t think so... she just showed up one day...”

Bokuto lets out a humourless chuckle of his own. “Yeah. It’s no surprise I didn’t tell you, considering I was crying over you at the time.”

“What?! Why?” Akaashi asks, taking a step towards his love, hand outstretched hesitantly, as if to prevent his pain.

“You didn’t come home the night before... it was one of your concerts I didn’t go to. I thought you were hooking up with someone else and I didn’t take it very well, so Kuroo told me about this place in the library where he studies! Said it was super secluded and I could go there if I didn’t want to be in the flat for a while... so I took him up on his offer, and when Yachi got there, she found me crying - over you.”

“Bokuto...”

“I’ve been CRAZY in love with you since third year of high school, Akaashi! How could you not have noticed?! Everyone told me you felt the same way... but I figured you had to have noticed and just didn’t feel the same way—”

“I do!” He interrupts loudly, taking another step closer. 

“Akaashi...”

“I love you, Koutarou! I love you so much!” He says, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

“I love you too...” Bokuto whispers, reaching out an arm to pull Akaashi in to his chest, curling around him gently, “but you’ve hurt my friend, Akaashi...” he admits, his feelings torn.

“I know,” Akaashi says, Bokuto able to feel the shorter man’s head nodding against his shoulder, “and I’m going to fix it,” he says, determination filling his voice as he pulls back to stare into Bokuto’s eyes.

“How though...” Bokuto wonders out loud.

“I will - I promise.” Akaashi vows, fire lighting up his gunmetal eyes. “I’m going to fix everything.”

And Bokuto believes him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pls don’t hate me 😂😂


	30. No More Victim Blaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYOOO!
> 
> Sorry this chap is a lil late, but I hope you like it! I can’t promise my next chapter will be up on Sat, because its my bday on monday and I have family coming over, but Im gonna try! 
> 
> Here’s some sweet fluff for y’all...
> 
> Next chapter I wont be so nice ;)
> 
> Feel free to kudos, comment or dm! (Insta is Elizandre22) But if that isn’t your thing, its cool! I hope you enjoy the ride <3
> 
> Love you all, bye for now Volleybabes! Xoxo

Waking up the next day, snuggled between the warm bodies of Kageyama and Hinata, Yachi’s head pounds fiercely. 

They stayed up with her most of the night, talking her through her panic attacks and smothering her with plenty of cuddles and water.

Now, the morning after, she feels immensely guilty for ruining both Akaashi’s party, and her friends’ night.

Sighing softly, she startles a little when she feels the arm around her middle squeezing. Turning her head to the side, she smiles softly as she meets Kageyama’s eyes.

“You okay?” She croaks, grimacing at her throaty, morning voice.

Chuckling at his usually- peppy friend’s deep voice, Kageyama replies, “I’m good, did you sleep well?”

“Not really,” she says with a grimace. “I forgot how much of a kicker Hinata is.”

Kageyama’s face goes dark at the mention of their friend’s bad sleeping habits. “I swear he’s trying to jump in his sleep, but you always end up getting kicked!”

“Mpmhhh! I do not...” comes the indignant sleepy voice of their ginger spiker, the two turning to face him as they realise he’s also awake.

“Do too,” they say in sync, grinning at one another.

Hinata opens his mouth to complain, but is cut off by the buzzing of Yachi’s phone on her nightstand. Reaching over Hinata to grab it, her face twists up in distate, before she sends the call to voicemail.

“Everything okay, Yachi?” Hinata asks quietly, no doubt thinking it was one of the volleyball guys she just ignored.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just my mother,” she stresses, laughing slightly as she watches both of her friend’s faces scrunching up the same way her’s did before. “She’s been trying to contact me for the past couple of days and I’ve been putting it off, because I don’t want to tell her I’ve moved in with Aki and Saeko...”

“Why not?” Hinata asks in confusion.

“Because she pays the rent on my apartment,” she explains slowly, “and I’m not living there anymore... so she’s basically paying for nothing - plus I’m gonna be asking her for the money to move somewhere else after Christmas... she’s not going to be happy.” 

“Ahhh,” Hinata says, eyes widening in understanding. “You don’t think she’ll be cool about it?”

“Ha! As if,” she says bitterly, snuggling further into Kageyama’s embrace. 

The three of them lie in silence for a while, contemplating the situation, before Kageyama speaks up.

“Why don’t you ring her back now, then?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because we’re going to be here for the next couple of hours... so if things go badly, we can comfort you.” He explains, voice softening as he continues, “I don’t want you to be alone when you talk to her, Hitoka...”

“Exactly!” Hinata pipes up. “We’ve got your back! Even if she’s horrible, we can take you out after and distract you!”

“I— yeah, okay...” she agrees with a sigh, picking her phone back up with trepidation.

Looking between her two friends - Kageyama nodding at her and Hinata sending her a thumbs up - she ignores the voicemail left on her phone and swipes across her mother’s contact, ringing her straight away before she can talk herself out of it.

It only takes two rings before her mother picks up with an aggravated, “there you are! I’ve been trying to call you for days!”

“And I told you that Kageyama and Hinata were coming up and I wanted to spend time with them,” she replies with a groan. Her mother frequently misses their fortnightly phone calls for work meetings and whatnot, but as soon as Yachi doesn’t pick up on the first try, she’s a terrible daughter.

“Well, have they left now?”

Looking at her friends’ raised eyebrows, she smiles slightly, “yeah, they left 20 minutes ago...” she lies.

“Good, good. Anyways, I was trying to call you because I’ve found out that I have a gallery meeting on December 19th about my new pieces, but that was when I was supposed to be picking you up to come home...” she starts, and Yachi already knows where she’s going with this. Pulling the phone away from her ear, she sends a meaningful glance to her friends, before putting the phone on speaker, so they can all hear as her mother continues, “so naturally I had to say yes, because this gallery is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I would pick you up the next day, but I already have plans that Sunday with Stuart and I really can’t cancel that... So I guess you’ll have to book a train home,” she finishes, unaware of the two boys currently frowning at her words, anger morphing their faces.

“Ah. I see.” Yachi replies deadpan. “Well the 19th is the Saturday... I suppose I could do the Friday if I shuffle some work around—”

“Can’t do the Friday, Hitoka, I have a business dinner with Rachel - you remember Rachel? - about some of my Spring collections I have lined up.”

“Oh... how long will the dinner be?” She asks, confused as to why her mother can’t pick her up before or afterwards.

“A good while... I might be bringing her back to the studio to show her some of the pieces,” her mother muses. 

“Ahhh okay,” Yachi pauses, stilted, trying to think of something to do. “I suppose I could ask Aki-Nii to give me a lift...”

“Who?!” Her mothers asks, voice raising in pitch.

“Aki-Nii... Tsukishima’s brother?” She replies slowly. Surely her mother hasn’t forgotten her high school friends already...

“And why exactly would he come all the way from Miyagi to pick you up?” She asks primly.

“Oh! Akiteru isn’t living in Miyagi, he’s staying in Tokyo with his girlfriend.”

“Well! If he’s with his girlfriend, I hardly think it’s appropriate for you to be putting him out of his way to drive you all the way back here—“”

“She’s actually from Miyagi too - and so is her brother.” Yachi interrupts, annoyed. “I’m pretty sure he was planning on driving them both up there anyways... I could probably ask him for a lift.” She ponders. He had told her to ask him for anything, if she needs it...

“Getting him to drive over to yours - to go so far out of his way... no, Hitoka. I think you’re being a little selfish there, don’t you?”

“Maybe if you hadn’t cancelled on picking your own daughter up she wouldn’t have to be,” Hinata mumbles under his breath with a murderous glare towards the phone.

“What was that? You’re mumbling!” Her mother shouts through the phone, causing them all to jump, before suppressing their sniggers.

“It was nothing...” Yachi says with a sigh. Time to bite the proverbial bullet. “Though he won’t have to go out of his way at all, since I’m currently living with him.” She says, measuring her breathing as she waits in the tense silence for her mother to reply.

“Living with— Hitoka! That is inappropriate!”

“Not like that! I just... couldn’t stay at my flat anymore— I’m currently looking for other places! But I needed to talk to you about it first...” she trails off, knowing there’s no way to redeem the situation.

“Looking for other places? Wh— what’s wrong with where you are now?!” Her mother asks, voice once again rising in pitch, making Yachi and her friends wince.

“I... was being bullied by my flatmate and her friend. It got... pretty bad, so Aki-Nii and Saeko said I could live with them, until I found somewhere else to go, away from those girls...”

“Oh, Hitoka,” her mother sighs, making Yachi close her eyes in regret. She’ll never get used to that tone, no matter how many times she hears it - the disappointment in those two words. “You know, I thought we’d gotten past this! I took you out of your middle school - we moved away from Tokyo, despite my business there, because you said you were being bullied then! You promised that if you went to Tokyo for Uni this wouldn’t happen again—”

“But mum—”

“No, Hitoka. I pandered to you, letting you move schools when you were younger, but it’s obviously done you no good. You’ll just have to suck it up until the year has ended - that’s only, what - 5 or 6 months? I’m sure—”

“You don’t understand—”

“You can handle it until then! I’m not paying for you to move somewhere else, when I’ve already signed the lease for that apartment for the entire year! I doubt it’s as bad as you’re making it out to be—”

“They BEAT ME UP, MUM!” Yachi shouts, trying to get through her mother’s rambling.

“Oh, please! What, a couple of scratches? A shove, perhaps? There are children in crime syndicates, Hitoka! Being beaten up everyday - you are, and will be, fine! And that’s all I want to hear on the matter.” She says with finality.

“But...”

“No. I’ve pandered to your wants long enough! You need to learn to deal with your own problems. I’m sure they are lovely girls. If you actually tried talking to them—”

“Whatever. I’ll ask Aki-Nii about a lift home, I’ll see you on the 19th.” Yachi says in frustration, sick of hearing her mother’s voice.

“Don’t be like that—” her mother gets out, before Hinata reaches over and disconnects the call, quickly turning it to silent mode and throwing it onto the floor as text message start coming through.

“UGH!” Yachi shouts, running her hands over her face in anger. “I knew she would be like that!”

“I can’t believe her! You can stay with us over Christmas, if you want, Yachi! Natsu would love to see you,” Hinata offers, peeking at her through the gaps in her fingers.

Sighing out, she shakes her head in resignation. “No, she won’t let that happen. She’s too controlling for that - she likes to play the good mother, even if she’s not one. All of her colleagues will ask about me after the Christmas holidays... she’ll look like a fool if she has nothing to say.” Yachi says with a shrug. It’s always been that way with her mother - doing things for the sake of appearances, not because she actually cares. “It’s fine— it’ll be fine.”

“Yachi...”

“Honestly! Don’t worry about it - I mean, if nothing else, it’s two weeks away from Suzumeda and Yukie, right?”

“Right.” Kageyama jumps in, glaring at Hinata as he opens his mouth to complain once again. “You do what’s best for you, Yachi,” he says, face softening when he turns to look at her.

Snuggling back into Kageyama with a deep breath out, she nods in agreement, giggling as Hinata flops on top of them both, rubbing his face into her soft tummy, before sighing contentedly.

“Hey, Bakeyama?” He asks, voice muffled from where his mouth is pressed against her skin, the vibrations tickling her slightly. “What time is our bus, again?”

“12, why?”

“What time is it now?”

“10:15,” he says after checking his phone.

“I bet you I can pick more apples than you in Animal Crossing before we leave!” He shouts, throwing himself across the room to grab his switch, laughing manically as Kageyama swears and flies off the bed to find his own device, Yachi chuckling as she reaches for her own on the bedside table.

The sour mood from before now lifted, the three of them sit in contentment playing Animal Crossing, until the boys have to go, Yachi walking them back to Uni with a sad smile. 

Being swallowed up by them both, she giggles as Hinata pokes her side and makes her promise to ring him and let him know what’s happening. 

Agreeing happily, she jolts a little as she suddenly feels lips on her cheek, turning in surprise to face Kageyama who is now flushing brightly. 

Smiling at the boy as a couple of their teammates start to jeer, Kageyama’s once soft face hardening in anger, she reaches up swiftly to kiss him in return, sending her own glares at his teammates over his shoulder as her phone starts to buzz in her pocket. “See you on your birthday, Tobes,” she says softly, before stepping back onto the curb.

“Yeah... see you then, Toka.” He replies in a daze, moving slowly to climb onto the bus, his friends all shoving his shoulders in friendly banter, making Yachi laugh. She and her friends all know that touches like that are used purely to display familial love, nothing more - that doesn’t mean they don’t all blush furiously when it happens, though.

She waits 10 more minutes for their coach to pull away, waving enthusiastically at Hinata through the window, before turning away to take a slow stroll back through campus, pulling out her phone as she does so, expecting more messages from her mother, before stopping in surprise.

Message Chat: ALIEN PRINCE TOORU

APT: Hey, Angel. Iwaizumi and I are in the library now and we’ll be here all day. We really need to talk... please come.

...

Well, she’s already on campus, and facing Oikawa can’t be much harder than talking to her mother... to the library it is.

Sending back a quick reply, she starts walking, the journey only taking her roughly 10 minutes. 

Heading into the building, it seems busier than usual... probably because it’s only two weeks till the winter holidays. Everyone has their final assignments and exams to prepare for.

Following a path known only to a few, Yachi finds herself staring at her small sliver of peace - the alcove.

Sitting at the table is Iwaizumi and Oikawa, the latter biting worryingly at his thumb as his boyfriend rubs soothing circles into his back.

Feeling like she’s intruding, she steps forward quietly.

“Hey guys...”

Had the situation been any different, the way Oikawa whips his head towards her, before scrambling over Iwaizumi’s body, would have been comical. As it stands, the actions don’t bring a laugh bubbling out of her, but rather tears, as she is swept up into a bone-crushing hug.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you,” she bawls, clinging onto her friend just as tightly as he is to her, her tears soaking into the shoulder of his jumper.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t notice!” He counteracts, dropping to his knees so that he can wrap his body around her tighter. “How did I not notice?! We danced with you at Kuroo’s party! He said he couldn’t even touch you without you flinching! How did we not notice...” he trails off, mumbling his remorse into her hair.

A warm body at her back interrupts her reply as Iwaizumi kneels down behind her, pulling the two of them into his strong, wide lap.

“We are so sorry, Yachi.” He agrees solemnly, head curling into the crook of her neck.

“I-It’s okay! It’s not your fault!” She hastens to reply.

“It doesn’t matter whose fault it is!” Oikawa cries into her hair. “We’re your friends and we didn’t realise something was wrong - something that has been going on for months if Akaashi is correct!”

“Y-You spoke to A-Akaashi about it?” She whispers.

“Yes, Hitoka, we did.” Iwaizumi says slowly, palm stroking her side to keep her calm. “He told us everything he could about the situation... Oikawa’s right - we should have known. We knew he was rude to you are Karaoke - hell, we saw the state you were in because of him - and then you never seemed to interact after that. We should have done something!”

“No! No you shouldn’t!” She yells with indignation, startling the couple. “I tried SO HARD to keep this from all of you... it’s no-ones fault but mine.”

“No, Yachi...” Oikawa says, lifting his head to make eye contact with her. “It’s no ones fault, but Suzumeda and Yukie’s, okay? No more victim blaming. It’s not your fault.”

It’s not her fault...

Oh, how she’s dreamed of hearing those words!

Face screwing up, she starts to cry in earnest, letting all of her fears out as she tells them everything, cocooned in the safety and warmth of their embrace; how she was scared they would choose Akaashi over her, how she thought they would be annoyed if they knew about her past, how she worried they would think she was pathetic for being bullied by Suzumeda and Yukie...

With each fear she tells them, they reply with loving words, soft affirmations and gently caresses, talking her through everything in a calm, kind manner... she’s never felt safer.

It takes a while, but eventually she runs out of steam, limbs falling loosely to her lap.

“Oh, Yachi... we would never...” Oikawa tries, unsure what to say in response.

“I know... I think I’ve always known that you wouldn’t just abandon me... but that’s what my dad did and it’s what my middle school friends did... it’s hard learning to trust people again.”

“I can only imagine,” Iwaizumi says, chest rumbling as she leans back into it. 

“It’s... been a work in progress,” she admits shyly, “but I’ve been getting better!”

“We can tell,” Oikawa says, smiling warmly down at her, before his face grows serious once more. “What do you want us to do about the others?” He asks.

“W-What do you mean?”

“I mean that everyone knows we’re meeting you here - it’s pretty much the only thing that’s stopped everyone from storming Akiteru’s place to check that you were alright... so what do you want us to do when we go back?”

“Oh... I...” she pauses, thinking over what they said, before coming to a conclusion. “I don’t think I can go through this with each and every one of them,” she admits quietly, “but I don’t want to put it on you guys to have to tell them—”

“We don’t mind.” Iwaizumi says firmly, Oikawa nodding in agreement. “We would never make you go through that again... if you don’t feel up to telling everyone, we are more than happy to tell them in your stead.”

“A-Are you sure...?” She whispers, craning her neck so she can make eye contact with the man.

“Yes, Yachi, we’re sure. You’ve been through enough... and we never noticed,” he says, breaking eye contact with her for a moment to glare at the carpet, “so anything we can do to help - to make things easier for you - we’ll do it.”

“Guys...”

“We’re serious, Yachi.” Oikawa agrees, firm eyes meeting hers. “Anything you need, just let us know.

Nodding her head in agreement, the three of them sit on the floor for a while longer, taking comfort in one another’s presence, before Oikawa ruins the moment complaining about how his leg went numb 30 minutes ago and he’s worried it’s going to fall off if they don’t move soon.

Giggling at his dramatic whines, the three of them relocating to sit in the alcove. 

They spend the rest of the afternoon together, the pair even going so far as to give her a lift back to Akiteru and Saeko’s place, promising to tell everyone what she told them when they get back to the apartment.

“Okay,” Yachi sighs out, sneaking one last cuddle from the couple, which they are happy to give, before pulling back, deciding to finally address the topic she’s been avoiding all day. “How is Kuroo doing, by the way?”

The two share a glance, before Oikawa turns to her with a twisted frown. “He’s... not taking it so well. He blames himself, I think—”

“What?! But why? It was hardly his fault!”

“We know that! And I’m sure deep down he knows that too... but that’s not gonna stop him from feeling guilty about it.”

“Oh... should I message him, or?”

“Actually,” Iwaizumi cuts in, “I think it would be best to give him a couple of days. Lets us break everything you’ve told us to him tonight... he’ll come to you when he’s ready.”

“Okay,” she whispers, smiling gently as she watches them climb back into their car, before driving off into the night.

...

And they were right. 

Kuroo does find her - three days later, in an empty art room.

It’s one of the few art rooms she actually enjoys being in, the mess in most of the other ones setting her anxiety off.

Four large, white walls surround her with a big, square table sat in the middle of the room. A huge tarp covers the entire floor and canvasses are stood on easels around the edges of the room. It’s a room for anyone’s use - any canvases that get used always being replaced with new ones by the next morning. The art department says that anyone can do whatever they want in there... 

it’s that kind of freedom that has been keeping Yachi relaxed for the past 3 days as she paints duck egg blue leisurely across a 2 meter by 2 meter canvas.

The door creaking open behind her causes her to jump; it’s a well-known rule within the department that only one person uses the room at a time.

Turning around to see if the person who has entered needs anything, she drops her paintbrush in shock to see Kuroo standing there, arms fidgeting restlessly by his sides.

“Hello, Yachi...” he says softly, eyes not meeting her own.

Unable to stop herself, she launches herself across the room - much like Oikawa did in the library - to wrap her arms around his torso, burying her head in his chest.

“I was going to tell you, I swear!” She promises, wiggling closer to his body, as if scared he will try to remove her.

Strong arms come round her thighs, causing her to squeak in surprise as she is lifted into the air. Quickly wrapping her legs around his torso, she manoeuvres her arms up, taking advantage of her higher position to shove her face into his neck, inhaling the masculine, woodsy smell that’s wholly Kuroo.

“I’m sorry...” she whispers, feeling like a broken record.

Sighing into her hair, he slides an arm under her bum to hold her weight, the other coming up to wrap around her shoulders, fingers caressing her neck lightly. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Yachi,” he replies steadily.

“But I didn’t tell you—”

“You were going to, right?” He asks, plowing over her apology.

“Yes! Of course I was! The very next day!”

“Then it was just very bad timing...” he sighs.

“I— yeah... it was.” She whispers back.

“Thank you, for trying to tell me - for trying to be honest with me. I just— I feel like it’s my fault, you know? I was the only one who knew just how bad things were - who saw your injuries - and I didn’t do anything! I could have helped—”

“Stop that right now, Kuroo Tetsurou!” Yachi demands, pulling back to eye his shocked face furiously. “As Oikawa and Iwaizumi pointed out to me, it’s no ones fault but Suzumeda and Yukie’s - to take blame for their actions means you’re lessening the responsibility they have to take for their actions. They are... terrible, terrible people,” she says, her voice cracking as she does so, “and they need to be the ones held responsible, not us.”

Staring down at her in awe, Kuroo grips her tighter. Fuck, he wants to kiss her so bad! But he stands by what he said to Bokuto - she’s too delicate right now to be thinking about relationships. To try something now... it would be unfair to both of them.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, trying to dismiss his wandering thoughts, he smiles down at her, watching her eyes widen slightly as he agrees. 

“You’re right... they’re the ones in the wrong and blaming ourselves wont do us any good - as long as you aren’t blaming yourself either.”

“I’m not,” she smiles, shaking her head firmly, before going back to staring at his glinting, golden eyes. “I’ve had more than enough people telling me over the past couple of days that it’s not my fault... and honestly? It’s such a relief to finally have everything out in the open,” she says, letting out a small chuckle.

“Yeah?”

“Mhmm! I was so worried everyone would want nothing to do with me if they knew, you know? But everyone has been so supportive and kind and caring! It’s... it makes me wonder why I was even scared,” she says, arms looping loosely round his neck as she smiles brightly at him.

“I’m glad,” he says, grinning back at her. “You deserve the world, Yachi...”

She giggles in reply, but doesn’t say anything else, the two falling into companionable silence as she stares intently into his molten eyes.

Fuck, he needs to get out of here, before he does something stupid!

Coughing awkwardly, he lowers her to the ground with one final squeeze around her shoulders, before taking a big step back to put some distance between them. Jerking a thumb behind him to indicate the door, he starts.

“So, I’ll just be—”

“O-Oh yeah, I’m sure you have things to do—”

“Things! Yes— many, things—”

“Wouldn’t want to keep you—”

“I guess I’ll just—”

“I’ll see you later, I guess—”

They both stutter awkwardly, until Kuroo closes the door behind him, leaving Yachi alone once again, the mesmerising vision of his eyes playing against the back of her eyelids.

Turning round in a daze, she heads back towards her canvas... her blue canvas... 

Picking up a paintbrush, she starts mixing her colours together, going to place the brush on the canvas, only to stop short as she stares at the paint coating the end of it.

Gold.

Lifting her eyes, her gaze catches on the huge white wall behind it. Walking round her canvas, as if in a trance, she heads right up to the wall. She pauses only for a second, before diving in; gold splashing brightly against the smooth, pale plaster.

Yachi doesn’t know how long she paints for, only that by the time she’s done - stepping down from the painting ladders she had been perched on to reach the very top of the wall - the sun is coming back up. 

Probably around 14 hours then, she guesses.

Stepping back, she shakes herself out of the painting zone she’s fallen into, and stares at the piece she’s created.

Covering the entire wall, floor to ceiling and side to side, are two huge, luminous eyes, cut down the centre by massive, slit pupils.

The cunning gaze of a golden-eyed cat, with a messy, black fringe, stares back at her.


	31. You Know You Have A Weak Stomach!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys... this fic is officially the LONGEST and the MOST KUDOSED KuroYachi fic on Ao3!!!! Almost 500 kudos... I cant ToT
> 
> Thank you all so so much for your love and support!
> 
> Here’s a softer and sweeter chapter for y’all because you’ve more than earned it!
> 
> I hope you like it! Feel free to come chat on insta (@Elizandre22), I love you guys so much! Sweet dreams, volleybabes! Xoxo

It’s the Wednesday before University ends for winter break that Yachi finally sees Akaashi again.

She’s seen Bokuto a couple of times over the past two weeks - the excitable boy telling her all his and Akaashi’s new relationship status - but whenever she’s tried to bring up Akaashi’s whereabouts, her friend has shut down and acted cagey, making excuses for his absence - which is why she really wasn’t expecting to arrive at the library alcove, only to find him waiting there.

“Hello, Yachi,” he says with a small smile, hands fidgeting in front of him.

“Hello...” she repeats hesitantly, Bokuto’s secretive behaviour over the past couple of weeks making her wary.

Gesturing to the table beside him, Akaashi flashes her an equally wary look. “Please sit, Yachi. I swear I come in peace,” he jokes.

Following his lead, she sits in the booth across from him with a soft, “okay,” awkward silence filling the tense air between them.

“I’m sorry!” They both blurt out at the same time, Yachi jumping in surprise.

“What? What do you have to be sorry for, Hitoka?” Akaashi asks, genuine confusion marring his face.

“What do I— I ruined your party!” She bursts out. “I caused you so much trouble... gosh, your parents must have been so mad! I know there was a lot of professional musicians there too! And then our friends ended up starting a fist fight all because of me... they must have though you were a joke...” she trails off miserably.

“Yachi... is that really what you’ve been thinking this entire time?”

“Well, yeah! I haven’t seen you since the party, and whenever I would ask Bokuto about you— oh! Congratulations by the way! He told me that you confessed - I’m so happy for you both!”

“Thank you, Yachi,” he replies with an indulgent smile, “but you were saying about Bokuto...”

“Oh! Well, whenever I asked about you, he would always get really quiet and shifty,” she explains, hurt flitting across her delicate features, “so I figured that meant you were mad at me and didn’t want to see me and he was being a good boyfriend by keeping me away from you...”

Akaashi heaves a deep sigh hearing this, burying his head in his hands with a muffles curse. “That idiot. Yachi,” he pleads, looking up at her once more. “I promise you, I’m not mad at you— and I will be having a little chat with Koutarou when I get home about the art of subtlety,” he grumbles with agitation. 

“... so you’re not... mad at me?”

“No, sweetheart,” he sighs once more. “I’m not mad at you at all - and I never was. I’ve been... arranging some things... and I didn’t want to tell you about it until everything was finalised. I asked Kou to keep it a secret, but apparently he made you think I hated you, so,” he cuts himself off with a chuckle, rubbing his brow with a fond smile. “I’m honestly in love with a moron,” he complains.

“It’s not Bo’s fault!” Yachi is quick to try and reassure. “If he was keeping a secret from me then his attitude makes more sense now... but, if you’re here... does that mean you sorted everything out?” She asks hopefully, wondering if he’s spent all this time sorting out the mess she made at his party - she hopes not. 

“Yes, Yachi. I’ve sorted everything out now,” he says with a smile, “and I guess I should tell you about it, since we’ve kept you in the dark for the past two weeks.”

“Please...” she whispers, praying she hasn’t ruined his chances with any of the musicians that were at his party.

“Well, I don’t know what the guys told you about my birthday after you left... but I realised pretty quickly what Suzumeda and Yukie had been doing to you... and I realised that a lot of it was caused by me, so—”

“No, Akaashi!” Yachi breaks in, horror crossing her face. “It’s not your fault! Why would you even think that?!”

“Um...” he pauses, startled. Does she not blame me? He asks himself. “Well... they were cruel to you because of your association with me—”

“Nope. Stop right there she demands, eyes hardening as she stares at him with intent. “You’re not allowed to blame yourself.” She says. “I’ve spent the past two weeks surrounded by Oikawa, Iwaizumi, Kuroo and Kenma and EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM has told me to stop blaming the victim,” she explains, hands reaching across the table to still his fidgeting ones. “Akaashi... you’re just as much of a victim of their abuse as I am... it was just a different kind of abuse. I PROMISE YOU, I don’t blame you, okay?” She says, squeezing his hands gently.

“Oh... okay.” He whispers.

“Sorry for interrupting you,” she giggles, laughing at the dumbstruck expression on her friend’s face.

“It’s okay,” he mumbles, shaking himself out of his stupor. “Well... at the time, I blamed myself, so I decided to take responsibility. You were right before, by the way - when you assumed my parents were mad that everyone had caused a scene - but once I explained to then what Suzumeda and Yukie had done to you, they felt terrible - they were the ones that invited them, after all. Apparently, they had talked to my parents at some of my concerts,” he explains, lip curling in disgust. “Needless to say, they were shocked and furious when I explained that they were essentially my stalkers...

“Anyways. Once I explained that to them, they agreed to pull some strings to try and help me out - especially when Oikawa and Iwaizumi came home the next night with the full story...” he trails off, eyes going distant as he recalls the cold fury he felt as Oikawa sat in their living room, righteous tears streaming down his face as he recollects Yachi’s story.

“... Akaashi?” Yachi asks hesitantly, worried by her friend’s ongoing silence.

“Sorry. Just thinking about it all... I can’t believe I didn’t notice— that I didn’t help...” he sighs, shaking his head, before straightening his shoulders and looking her in the eye. “But I know now, and I wasn’t going to stop until I managed to do something about it, so.” He says with finality, removing his hands from her’s to rummage in his bag for something, before pulling out a sheath of papers, which he hands to her with a shaky smile.

Confused, she takes the papers, hands flicking through them faster and faster as she reads the different titles in shock.

“... What is this?” She whispers.

“Those are expulsion papers for one Suzumeda Kaori and one Yukie Shirofuku, along with a certificate to a full art scholarship program, and the contract to a flat in one of the university-owned buildings on campus - since your current flat is owned by a separate landlord, we couldn’t get Suzumeda kicked out, so you’ll have to move out of that flat permanently, but—“” he cuts off with a choked noise as Yachi throws herself around the table and onto his lap. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She chants into his neck.

Slowly, his arms come up to curl around her, pulling her in close. 

He breathes out a sigh of relief - he had been so worried she would reject it all.

“You’re not mad?” He asks, just to be sure.

“MAD?!” She pulls back with shock. “Akaashi... you just told me that you got my bullies kicked out of school, you found me somewhere to live AND you got me a scholarship?! It’s too much—”

“Technically, you earned that scholarship yourself. Apparently, they had been looking to give it to you when you first applied, but since you were adamant about doing a graphics course instead of art, it wasn’t applicable? But... Oikawa and Kuroo told me about the conversation they had with you... about your mother forcing you to do graphics instead, or she would take your money away.” He sneers at this. “Well, I figured you wouldn’t mind if we changed your course a little bit - and with the scholarship, you get a grant every term, which should cover any costs - plus they’re letting you stay in the flat for free—”

“WHAT?! Why?!”

“Yachi...” he sighs, wrapping his arms around her tighter. “You’re classed as a vulnerable student,” he admits. “We... had to tell then about your mental health. And as a result of that, mixed with you being bullied on their campus and them doing nothing to prevent it, you get to stay there for free until first year ends.”

“... Are you serious, right now?” She whispers. “This isn’t some kind of joke?”

“No, Yachi.” He says with a strained smile. “I would never joke about something like this.... If you accept it—”

“I do!” She all but yells, making him chuckle.

“Then all you have to do is fill out the paperwork. You can’t move into your flat until the 26th of December, I believe, but everything will be sorted out for you as soon as you hand the papers in... I can help you fill them out if you want?” He offers, sending her a cautious, hope-filled smile.

He has no need to be worried, however, as Yachi sends him her brightest, beaming smile and nods thoroughly.

Clambering off his lap to sit on the seat next to him, she leans across the table and drags the papers towards them.

“Thank you, Keiji,” she says, flipping open the first contract with a grin.

“It was my pleasure, Hitoka,” he replies, the two sharing a smile, before getting to work.

•••

The final days leading up to the winter holidays are pretty anticlimactic after Akaashi’s bombshell.

The two of them spend the rest of the day in the library, scanning through and sighing contracts, before heading to administration to hand them in.

She has a meeting with the head of Tokyo University’s art department the next day, who welcomes her with kind eyes and bounds of enthusiasm. She was a little wary going into the meeting, but by the time it’s done, she’s happy to be joining them next term, a bundle of papers tucked under her arm outlining her new modules and what work she can do over the holidays.

She’s excited. 

Akiteru, as expected, is more than happy to have an extra body in the car, even if it is a squeeze, with Yachi squished between Ryuu and Noya in the back seat. 

The five of them spend the trip singing Christmas songs, eating snacks and cracking jokes. She’s never felt so comfortable before, the others making sure to include her, sending her shocked, sympathetic glances when she admits to not knowing half of the songs - her mother never being big on Christmas celebrations.

Arriving home was also anticlimactic, Yachi expecting her mother to bring up the flat situation, but she isn’t even there when Yachi gets back, and once she does come home, she hardly gives Yachi more than a perfunctory, “welcome back,” before retreating to her workspace, phone in hand.

Left to her own devices, Yachi is more than happy with this arrangement, spending her time messaging her friends and honing her baking skills, making an assortment if different flavoured cupcakes, which she and her high school friends all dug into earlier, the five of them now sprawled across Kageyama’s living room floor for his birthday.

“My tummy hurtsss,” Hinata whines, rolling around as he clutches his stomach.

Yamaguchi sighs sufferingly, sending Yachi an eyeroll. “That’s what you get for challenging Kageyama to a cupcake eating competition - you know you have a weak stomach.”

“Pathetic,” Tsukishima snorts from his own place in front of the TV, elbow jostling Kageyama’s as they battle for dominance in Mario Kart - Yachi having been banned from playing 30 minutes ago because no one else could win. 

“Rude, Tsukki!” Hinata pouts, sidling up beside the blond, the taller boy sending him a wary glance.

“Hinata...” he draws out warningly.

The ginger - either not hearing the danger in his salty friend’s voice, or just not caring - launches himself across his lap to grab the controller, using his precious few seconds of control to wreak as much havoc as possible, before he’s throw across the wooden floor, sliding to a stop next to Yachi and Yamaguchi with a groan of, “my stomach...” curling in on himself once more, Yachi petting his hair consolingly. 

“Alright, that’s it!” Yamaguchi declares, standing up to plant his hands on his hips. “No more Mario Kart. Finish your game and then Tobio gets to pick something else to play since it’s his birthday,” he says, the authority in his voice causing the three boys to cower and nod.

No one messes with serious Tadashi.

Standing up to go and join Hinata, who is now kneeling beside the games cabinet, his poor stomach all but forgotten, she jolts in surprise as her phone starts vibrating in her pocket. 

Pulling it out, she bites her lip worriedly, before excusing herself from the room.

The contact name ‘University’ stares back at her as she sighs deeply, before picking up the phone warily - they probably want to talk about her new accommodation or the scholarship, she reasons. 

“... Hello?”

“Hello!” A cheerful voice replies. “Is this Yachi Hitoka, by any chance?”

“Umm... yes?”

“Thank goodness! Hello there, this is Mr. Fukuyama from the graphics course at Tokyo University.”

“Ah! H-Hello there,” she stutters. Is this about her switching courses?

“I’m calling to inform you that you have officially been chosen as on of the three students whose work will be being displayed at the Tokyo National Art Centre staring January 1st!”

... what?

“What?!” She squeaks out.

“Congratulations! We were absolutely dazzled by your unique approach to the module, as well as your use of different medias and canvases - your piece that you painted on art room B-6s wall was truly marvellous! When I saw the picture in your online portfolio, I just had to go and check it out in person - I loved it!”

Oh... she barely even remembers adding a photo of the wall to her portfolio at the last minute, in her rush to prepare and hand in all of her work.

“I... you aren’t mad about it?” She asks hesitantly.

“Mad?! Goodness no!” He laughs. “Why do you think we included huge white walls ans made sure there was nothing blocking students’ access to them? It’s an art building! It was only a matter of time before someone decided the canvases provided just weren’t big enough for their vision!”

“I see...” she all but whispers, brain not back up to functioning just yet, shock still coursing through her system.

“So, do you accept?” The question, piercing through her haze.

“Accept?” She asks in confusion.

“Your place at the museum! We always have to ask for a student’s permission to display their artwork in such a public manner,” he explains.

“Of course!” She shouts quickly, as if afraid he will rescind the offer, wincing when she hears the boys go silent in the living room.

“Wonderful! Your exhibit will be in the furthest section from the entrance, at it will be there from January 1st. If you have anyone you wish to attend the day of opening, just let us know and we will send along as many tickets as you require—”

“Is 8 too many?” She butts in.

“...8?”

“Not including myself,” she adds, gnawing on her bottom lip as she makes eye contact with Yamaguchi, who has stuck his head out into the hallway with raised eyebrows.

“8... we can get you 8 tickets! A big family you’ve got there!” He comments, making her smile.

“Yeah,” she agrees. “They’re pretty amazing.”

“I’m glad,” he replies, sounding like he genuinely means it. “... Alright! Those should appear in your email shortly. Make sure to have them printed out and available when you get to the museum - oh! And they will be in contact with you themselves about your display,” he continues, Yachi smiling as her other friends filter out into the corridor, sensing the importance of her phone call. “You’ll have to go in a couple of times before it opens to discuss how you wish for your work to be displayed, etcetera. I hope that will be okay with you?”

“Of course! I’ll be there!” She grins, giddy joy filling her body.

“Wondeful, wonderful! Well, Miss Yachi, I’ll leave you to your holidays! If there’s anything you need, I included my email with the tickets I sent you, so please feel free to contact me anytime. Merry Christmas!” He calls out.

“Merry Christmas...” she replies, blinding smile taking over her face.

It really IS a Merry Christmas this year, she thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a couple things to explain incase anyone is confused
> 
> \- the guys were all in on Akaashi’s plans, so she doesnt have to explain that to them :) 
> 
> \- while it may seem farfetched that akaashi could do so much for her, in my headcanon his mother is a lawyer and his family comes from hella money (hence the massive party and being in the know with professional musicians) so they were able to pull some strings and make some threats to get things sorted for her
> 
> \- the uni actually approached her mother and said they wanted to offer her the scholarship, but her mother told them Yachi only wanted to do graphics, so NO the scholarship wasnt given to her because of Akaashi’s parents, that was all her own talent and hard work <3
> 
> \- Yachi is unaware that the phone call between her mother and the Uni ever took place.


End file.
